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England closed as the undisputed leader, while Croatia held onto second place and Ghana emerged as the best third-place team provisionally after the final matchday played this Saturday.
The two simultaneous matches of the third round determined the standings. At MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, England defeated Panama 2-0 with goals from Jude Bellingham in the first half and Harry Kane in the second half. At the same time, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, to climb to second place in the group.
The final table was led by with seven points (two wins, one draw, six goals for and two against). finished second with six points, followed by with four as the best third place provisional. Panama concluded the tournament in last place with zero points and without scoring a single goal in three matches.
The group's journey was marked from the first day, June 17, when England defeated Croatia 4-2 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas with a brace from Kane. On the same day, Ghana triumphed 1-0 over Panama thanks to a last-minute goal from Caleb Yirenkyi in the 90+5 minute at BMO Field in Toronto.
On the second matchday, on June 23, England drew 0-0 with Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Boston, a result that kept the Africans unbeaten in goals conceded up to that point. Croatia, meanwhile, defeated Panama 1-0 with a goal from Ante Budimir in the 53rd minute in Toronto.
Croatia's victory over Ghana in the final match was the turning point that altered the group standings: the Balkan team, which arrived in third place, surpassed the Africans and seized the second direct spot, forcing Ghana to rely on the results of other groups to secure its qualification as one of the best third-placed teams.
Panama, in its second World Cup, exited the tournament without earning a single point or scoring a goal in the three matches played.
Regarding the round of 32 matches, , while Croatia will go up against the first-placed team from that same group, according to the tournament bracket.
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