Kane becomes England's all-time World Cup top scorer as Tuchel's side beat Panama 2-0 to win Group
Harry Kane scored the 11th World Cup goal of his career to surpass Gary Lineker, heading in Jude Bellingham's cross after the midfielder had opened the scoring in East Rutherford.
Tuchel's first-half frustration
England manager Thomas Tuchel had demanded a win to claim the group, but the opening 45 minutes against already-eliminated Panama offered little danger. The German coach, 52, gesticulated wildly on the touchline in the rain at MetLife Stadium as his side struggled to create chances. Tuchel had handed first starts to Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, and gave a debut to Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen) after Reece James was ruled out with a thigh injury. Kane, who had scored twice in the tournament opener against Croatia, was barely involved in the first half, drawing an early rebuke from Tuchel for dropping too deep.
Bellingham breaks the deadlock
Panama, defending in a compact block, even threatened moments before the break when José Luis Rodriguez forced a sharp save from Jordan Pickford in the 26th minute. The Central Americans almost gifted England a lead shortly after the interval when José Cordoba's clearance struck teammate Andres Andrade and looped narrowly over the crossbar, though offside would have ruled out any goal. But England's pressure finally told on 62 minutes. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham arrived at the far post and volleyed home a corner with his left foot for 1-0.
Kane's record-breaking header
Only five minutes later, Bellingham turned provider, whipping in a cross from the left that Kane headed past Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosqura. The goal, Kane's 11th at World Cup finals, made him England's outright top scorer in the competition, moving ahead of Gary Lineker on 10. The 32-year-old Bayern Munich striker had equalled Lineker's mark with a double against Croatia; this header gave him sole possession of the record.
- Rodriguez forces a sharp save from Pickford
- Rodriguez fires over the crossbar
- Kane denied by Mosqura at point‑blank range
- Bellingham scores with a left‑foot volley from a corner
- Kane heads in Bellingham's cross to make it 2-0
Group victory and next steps
The win gave England a maximum seven points from three group matches and top spot in the group, following a 4-2 win over Croatia and a goalless draw with Ghana. They will now face a third-placed team from another group in the round of 16 on Wednesday in Atlanta. Croatia beat Ghana in the parallel fixture, a result that sent both European sides through at Panama's expense. Attendance in East Rutherford was 80,663, with former captain David Beckham watching from the stands.
