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England defeated Panama 0-2 this Saturday at the , New Jersey, in the final match of the group stage of Group L in the 2026 World Cup, securing their spot as the top team in their group with 7 points from three matches.
The match was even in the first half, with no goals or major chances. The story of the game was written in the second half when the English found the spaces to seal the victory.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the 62 minute by connecting with a low ball inside the box, taking advantage of a corner taken by Bukayo Saka. Just five minutes later, in the 67', Harry Kane extended the lead with a header that left the Panamanian goalkeeper with no chance, establishing the final score at 0-2.
The statistics clearly reflected England's dominance over the ninety minutes: 67% possession compared to Panama's 33%, 16 shots against 12, and 6 shots on target versus just two from the Central Americans. Corners were also in favor of England, six to two.
Regarding the cards, Panama received two yellow cards—J. Fajardo in the 53rd minute and A. Andrade in the 84th—while England received one for J. Quansah in the 60th minute, who was substituted immediately in the 63rd.
With this defeat, Panama concluded its participation in the 2026 World Cup without earning a single point and failing to score any goals in its three matches, finishing with a goal difference of -4. It was the second World Cup in Panama's history, and the result mirrored the pattern of its debut in Russia 2018, when it also lost to the English, on that occasion by 6-1.
In the simultaneous match held in Philadelphia, Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 and qualified as second in the group with six points. Ghana, for its part, advanced to the next round as one of the best third-placed teams with four points.
The was led by England with 7 points (two wins and one draw, six goals scored and two against), followed by Croatia with six, Ghana with four, and Panama with zero.
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