Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading World Cup scorer as the Three Lions secured a 2-0 win over Panama to finish top of Group L.
Match Report
Kane’s record-breaking 11th World Cup goal came as England, who had already booked their place in the round of 32, completed another successful outing. Jude Bellingham was instrumental, contributing both a goal and an assist to help set up a clash with one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Panama started brightly, with Tomas Rodriguez testing Jordan Pickford from distance just 10 seconds into the match. At the other end, Marcus Rashford forced Orlando Mosquera into an early save with a curling effort.
England created opportunities through Bukayo Saka and Bellingham but struggled to break down a resilient Panamanian defence in the opening half.
Panama nearly shocked Thomas Tuchel’s men in the 26th minute when Jose Luis Rodriguez burst down the left, beating Jarell Quansah before Pickford brilliantly denied his low strike.
Rashford also came close before the interval, heading over from a promising position and narrowly missing the target with a dangerous free-kick just before half-time.
Rodriguez threatened again after the break, sending another effort just over the crossbar, while Kane finally registered his first shot of the game shortly before the hour mark, only to be denied by Mosquera.
The breakthrough arrived in the 62nd minute. Saka’s corner found Bellingham near the six-yard box, and the midfielder stretched to guide the ball into the bottom corner.
Five minutes later, Kane etched his name into England history. Meeting Bellingham’s delicate cross with a powerful header, the captain scored his 11th World Cup goal to become the nation’s outright leading scorer in the competition.
Noni Madueke was later denied by Mosquera, while Panama thought they had netted their first goal of the 2026 World Cup in stoppage time. However, Jose Fajardo was ruled offside before finishing Eric Davies’ excellent delivery, leaving Panama without a goal as their campaign came to an end.
Kane makes history
Entering the match level with Gary Lineker’s World Cup tally, Kane needed just one goal to claim the record for himself.
Although he endured a quiet first half—failing to register a shot before the break for the first time in seven World Cup appearances since England’s opening match against Iran in 2022—he ultimately delivered when it mattered most.
His 11th World Cup goal now places him alone at the top of England’s all-time list. Remarkably, four of those goals have come against Panama, the most scored by any England player against a single opponent in World Cup history.
Bellingham also produced a standout display. The Real Madrid star has now scored twice in his last three international appearances, matching the total from his previous 18 caps. At 22 years and 363 days old, he became the youngest England player since records began in 1966 to both score and provide an assist in a World Cup match.
England improved significantly after the interval, ending the game with 17 shots and an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.49, compared to Panama’s 13 attempts and 0.58 xG.
Despite their elimination, Panama approached the contest with confidence and determination, but they leave the tournament without finding the back of the net.
