Bellingham ends Panama scare as England win 2-0

Jude Bellingham scored twice as England beat Panama 2-0 at MetLife Stadium, sending Thomas Tuchel’s side into the World Cup Round of 32 as group winners after a tense group-stage wobble.

When England’s game stalled into the familiar waiting, the kind that makes every minute feel heavier, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey finally found its spark.

After an hour of football on Saturday with the scores still goalless, the mood had shifted. Gary Neville’s complaint on television — “We lack subtlety. we lack creativity. we lack innovation” — captured the frustration that had been building as England struggled to find invention. It didn’t help that England had already lost another right-back option early. with Jarell Quansah having to be helped off.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, having been anxious after signs they might finish second in Group L, were hanging on. The wider picture was already turning grim for the Three Lions: the optimism that had accompanied them to the USA was melting away into a miserable, sodden evening.

Then Bellingham transformed it.

The break seemed to reset everything. In the 61st minute, Bukayo Saka swung a corner into the danger area and Bellingham poked it in to end the silence. Just minutes later, he turned provider when he set up England’s second for Harry Kane.

Kane, who now has 11 World Cup goals and became England’s all-time record finals scorer, added the finishing touch as the breakthrough became inevitable rather than escape.

Tuchel made several changes from the team that had laboured to a goalless draw with Ghana earlier in the week. Jude Bellingham was used for his versatility and moved back to play alongside Elliot Anderson. while Declan Rice was rested because he has been carrying an injury. Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka — England’s two best wide men — started together for the first time at this tournament. and Morgan Rogers was given a chance at number 10.

But as England celebrated a performance that felt like release, a problem still lingered.

There is a concern about the right-back situation, a point of contention since Tuchel omitted Trent Alexander-Arnold from his squad. Reece James is injured, which was described in the build-up as predictable, and Tino Livramento has already gone home. Quansah started against Panama and is a fine player. but the injury forced him off. raising the question of whether the position will be targeted by stronger opponents.

The first half didn’t give anyone much comfort either. England were dominant early at MetLife Stadium, and yet defensive vulnerability never fully went away. Marcus Rashford started sharply, cutting in from the left and ignoring Bellingham’s pleas to give him the ball. Rashford speared a shot toward the near post, and Orlando Mosquera reacted quickly to push it wide.

Panama weren’t built to be passive. After a quarter of an hour, they broke dangerously. Jose Luis Rodriguez was left one-on-one with Ezri Konsa on the edge of the box. and the moment hung there — if Rodriguez had played the ball to his left. England might have been in trouble. He did not see the pass, and the danger dissolved.

The pressure returned just after the hydration break, which came “in the pouring rain” and was described as reaching new levels of absurdity. Panama stretched England again, and Jose Luis Rodriguez forced a smart diving save from Jordan Pickford with a shot hammered toward the near post.

At that exact point, another worry filtered through: news that Croatia had taken the lead against Ghana. That changed what every next action would mean. England were second in the group then, and the margin for error felt thinner than the rain.

England rallied. Saka appealed for a penalty after he claimed he was pulled back in the area, but the referee ignored him. Rashford nodded just over from close range a minute later. Bellingham tried to set the tone with relentless energy. but England still struggled to respond fully to the weight of the moment.

On the stroke of half-time, Rashford curled a free kick just wide. When the ball rebounded off the advertising hoardings and rippled the back of the net, some England fans believed it had gone in — a tiny flicker of encouragement in a half that had felt almost too long.

The second half brought more tension than control. Ten minutes after the restart. Anderson lost the ball near the touchline. and Jose Luis Rodriguez ran across the face of the box before unleashing a shot that curled just wide. Shortly before the hour, Harry Kane brought Mosquera into making a good save.

The clock started to tick down, and with it, the right-back issue worsened. Quansah had to be helped from the pitch with an injury.

It was at that stage — when England needed steadiness and the stadium needed relief — that Bellingham stepped in again.

With five minutes still to be lived through, Saka swung over a corner from the left. Bellingham poked out his left foot ahead of his marker and steered a volley into the corner. Five minutes later. Bellingham raced onto a ball down the left. held it up near the edge of the area. turned and twisted to create space for a cross. then floated it into the six-yard box.

Kane met it and wrong-footed the goalkeeper with a firm header into the roof of the net.

There was one more late scare. Jose Fajardo raced in on goal and hit a shot high past Jordan Pickford into the roof of the net, but the linesman’s flag spared England as they breathed out and held their lead.

By the final whistle, the story was no longer doubt and waiting. England were through to the Round of 32 and top of the group. They had escaped. They had conquered the worry that had started to wash over them.

Bellingham. who has scored five goals now in major tournaments. enjoyed the moment — and it mattered that this was his second at this World Cup. after the individual effort against Croatia in Dallas earlier in the competition. With the 2-0 victory secured. England head south for their Round of 32 match with Atlanta in sight — carrying a dream instead of a question mark.

The sequence felt simple only after it happened: England needed breakthroughs, Panama kept threatening, and when the game finally opened, Bellingham arrived to close the door.

England vs Panama Jude Bellingham Harry Kane Thomas Tuchel World Cup 2026 Group L MetLife Stadium Bukayo Saka Jordan Pickford