Preview: Confident England will start as hot favourites against debutants Panama in a Group G FIFA World Cup clash at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Sunday. England struggled against the well organised and physically imposing Tunisian defence in their first match of the tournament. Skipper and star striker Harry Kane’s last-gasp winner in second-half injury time handed England a winning start for the first time in a major tournament after 12 years. England dominated the game and wasted a hatful of chances against Tunisia, and on Sunday coach Gareth Southgate would want his wards to improve on that. Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard were particularly guilty of spurning simple chances before Kane saved them the blushes. [caption id=“attachment_4584621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] England’s John Stones (5) celebrates scoring his side’s 4th goal during the group G match between England and Panama. AP[/caption] Kane, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL) and is a two-time EPL Golden Boot winner, lived up to his billing and performed on the biggest stage for his country with the first double by an English player at the World Cup since Gary Lineker in 1990. Southgate’s planned team was inadvertently revealed when assistant manager Steve Holland’s notes were photographed at training on Thursday. According to the notes, Marcus Rashford will replace Sterling with Ruben Loftus-Cheek stepping in for Dele Alli, who suffered a thigh injury against Tunisia. “If we were to give the opposition the opportunity of having our team it’s a disadvantage to us,” Southgate was quoted as saying as he criticised the media for helping the opposition. “So of course our media has to decide if they want to help the team or not.” Sterling had a wonderful season with Manchester City, scoring 23 goals to help them lift the EPL title. But for England, the former Liverpool forward has been rather off the boil, having not found the back of the net in his last 21 internationals. However, Rashford refuted suggestions England are too dependent on Kane for goals. “I don’t think that’s happening in this group,” said the Manchester United striker, who admitted to being an admirer of Kane’s ability to be in the right place at the right time. “He gets himself in great positons. If we can find him, we will, and, more often than not, he’s going to score.” Minnows Panama meanwhile, have shown that they can keep their shape and frustrate opponents. They did well against fancied Belgium in their first game. In the first half, Belgium could not breach Panama’s defence and match their power. In the second half though, they were undone by the more skilful Belgium players and lost 0-3. Racking up goals against Panama could be crucial if England are to top Group G. With inputs from Agencies Click here for full coverage of FIFA World Cup 2018 Click here to view the full schedule of FIFA World Cup 2018 Click here to view the points table of FIFA World Cup 2018
Highlights, England vs Panama, FIFA World Cup 2018, Match 30 at Nizhny Novgorod: Harry Kane powers England to R16
Catch all the latest updates from the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G match between England and Panama.
 "Highlights, England vs Panama, FIFA World Cup 2018, Match 30 at Nizhny Novgorod: Harry Kane powers England to R16")
Goodbye!
That’s it from us here. England and Belgium book their spot in the Round of 16 and the winner of their match will top Group G. Goodbye!
England 6-1 Panama
England top Group G due to a better fair play record
WOW!
John Stones has had more shots (5) at the 2018 World Cup than he has misplaced passes (4).
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 24, 2018
Stone(s) cold composure. ❄ pic.twitter.com/EDbs5P2PhE
England thrash Panama 6-1!
#ENG have secured their biggest ever victory at a #WorldCup.
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 24, 2018
They qualify for the round of 16 for the first time since 2010. pic.twitter.com/ChU0lQHNaf
FT! England 6-1 Panama
It has been a dire second half but England got the job done in the first 45 minutes. Panama showed spirit late into the game but their threat was no more than limited. Onwards we move to Kaliningrad for this group’s one final question to be resolved – who will finish on top? At this moment, it is difficult to identify a favourite between England and Belgium. The English fans’ rendition of ‘Don’t take me home’ rings in the ears, and that possibility is further away now as England have confirmed a place in the knockouts.
FT! England 6-1 Panama
Peep peeep peeeeeep! England have booked their spot in the last-16. Debutants Panama bow out. Harry Kane takes over as the World Cup’s top-scorer with a hat-trick. England and Belgium will now clash on Thursday to decide who will top Group H.
90+1` England 6-1 Panama
Four minutes added on.
89` England 6-1 Panama
England nearly have a seventh from a free-kick and Stones nearly gets his hat-trick but he fails to react quickly and Penedo collects the ball.
87` England 6-1 Panama
#PAN are the 74th nation to score a goal at the #WorldCup.
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 24, 2018
Hats off. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/6gALxOpgcI
83` England 6-1 Panama
That goal also means that England and Belgium are tied on points, goal difference, and goals scored. If they play out a draw in Kaliningrad, the fair play table would determine the group winner. Now that is something to look forward to. Or not.
81` England 6-1 Panama
5 - Harry Kane is the current leading scorer at the 2018 World Cup with five goals, scoring with all five of his shots on target in the tournament. Midas. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/xcOEEoWOE0
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
78` England 6-1 Panama
Felipe Baloy has scored Panama’s first ever goal at the World Cup! Avila’s raking delivery from a freekick saw Baloy slide towards the ball and poke it home. No clean sheet for England again. There was a sense that this goal was coming since Panama turned to the 3-4-2-1 formation which provided a more direct edge to their play.
78` Felipe Baloy scores Panama’s first-ever goal!
Panama have their first-ever World Cup goal and it is Felipe Baloy who gets it. He stretches to get at the end of Ricardo Avila’s cross and directs the ball into the bottom corner!
75` England 6-0 Panama
Roman Torres gets a huge opportunity to score Panama’s first goal at the World Cup but he fluffs his lines. A corner is flicked to the far post where Torres is unmarked. But he fails to turn it in.
74` England 6-0 Panama
Only Gary Lineker (10) has scored more #WorldCup goals for #ENG than Harry Kane (5).
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 24, 2018
Kane only needed 153 minutes for those five goals. pic.twitter.com/0INa70yV4Y
71` England 6-0 Panama
Murillo is booked for upending Sterling. Another set-piece for England. And it nearly produced another goal! Maguire heads it across goal where Stones challenges for the header with Torres. Henderson gets the ball and he volleys the ball but it narrowly misses the post.
70` England 6-0 Panama
Panama has effected a tactical switch to a three-man defence. Coach Gomez has used up all his substitutes too, in the hope that Panama can have a consolation or two. England make their final substitution by introducing Danny Rose for his Spurs teammate Kieran Trippier. Rose spoke publicly about his fight with depression before the tournament began so it is pleasing to see him back on the football pitch. Ashley Young moves to the right flank.
70` England 6-0 Panama
3 - Harry Kane is only the third England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match, after Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final, and @GaryLineker vs Poland in 1986. Illustrious. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KH50ZlnmZJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
68` England 6-0 Panama
Double change for Panama as Abdiel Arroyo and Felipe Baloy come on for Barcenas and Gomez. Gareth Southgate also makes his final change as Trippier is replaced by Danny Rose.
66` England 6-0 Panama
England’s defence dozed off for a second and this is the opportunity for full-back Murillo to reduce the deficit. Pickford, who has had very little to do today, was awake though and the chance is not converted. Meanwhile, Hernan Gomez has seen enough and he hooks Godoy off for Ricardo Avila.
65` England 6-0 Panama
Panama nearly get a consolation as Murillo ghosts into the box with only Pickford to beat. The England keeper stands tall and Murillo’s shot loops up off Pickford’s thigh. Stones then clears the ball away.
62` England 6-0 Panama
Well, so much for that. Loftus-Cheek’s shot takes a lucky deflection off Kane and the ball lands in the net. Kane was marginally onside, which means that he is this tournament’s top scorer now with five goals. Southgate reckons that Kane has done enough with his hattrick and Vardy replaces him. Lingard goes off too, with Fabian Delph getting an outing.
62` Harry Kane gets his hattrick!
A lucky goal for Kane! Loftus-Cheek shoots from outside the box and it takes a huge deflection off Kane’s trailing leg and wrong-foots the keeper. Hint of offside but the VAR sides with the linesman. With that goal, Kane is the World Cup’s top-scorer with five goals.
58` England 5-0 Panama
With Germany’s defeat to Mexico, there is the possibility of one half of the draw turning out to be less challenging than the other. Whoever finishes second in this group would fall into the seemingly easier half. With England needing only a goal to go above Belgium on goal difference, one wonders whether Southgate will be mindful of the possible permutations and combinations.
55` England 5-0 Panama
Dull start to the half. Not much happening. England at ease, Panama keen to not concede more.
54` England 5-0 Panama
2 - Harry Kane is the first player to score a brace in his first two World Cup appearances since Poland's Grzegorz Lato in 1974, who went on to win the Golden Boot at that tournament. Talisman. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/yY4el9eGJb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
52` England 5-0 Panama
England have started the second-half slowly. The intensity has dropped a bit.
48` England 5-0 Panama
Raheem Sterling times his run brilliantly and beats the Panamanian offside trap to get at the end of Kane’s pass. Penedo comes outside the box to block Sterling’s path to the goal.
Second-half underway!
Both sides make no changes at halftime.
To sum up the first half
England are on course for a record victory in a World Cup game and lead Panama 5-0 at halftime in Nizhny Novgorod. England had never scored five goals in a World Cup game before and has never won at the tournament by more than three.
Captain Harry Kane scored two penalties to tie Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku of Belgium as the top scorers in Russia with four goals each through two games.
Defender John Stones also scored twice to see England cruise toward a place in the last 16. An England win over the World Cup first-timer would see them qualify and also send Belgium through as well. They would play Thursday to determine who wins the group. Stones opened the scoring with a header from a corner in the 8th minute. Kane made it 2-0 from the spot in the 22nd.
Jesse Lingard got the third with a sublime curling shot off the crossbar in the 36th. Stones got his second before Kane again fired in from the penalty spot in first-half injury time. Panama is playing at its first World Cup ever and has now conceded eight goals in a game-and-a-half.
HT! England 5-0 Panama
Take a look at the stats from the first-half
HT! England 5-0 Panama
5 - This is only the fifth time in World Cup history that a team has scored 5+ goals in the first half of a match, with Germany vs Brazil in the 2014 semi-final the most recent occasion. Rout. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/dM69aHGaqh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
HT! England 5-0 Panama
England has never won a World Cup match by more than three goals. That may change today. Arguably, Southgate’s players delivered a better first-half display against Tunisia but Panama’s generous approach to defending means the goals are flowing. There are likely to be more in the second period.
HT! England 5-0 Panama
What a first-half performance from England! This is first time I have seen an England side score five goals in match at a major tournament. John Stones and Harry Kane with a brace each and a stunner from Jese Lingard.
45+2` England 5-0 Panama
Make that five
4 - England have scored four goals in a World Cup match for the first time the 1966 World Cup final against Germany. Fantastic. #ENGPAN #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/aTClgAmO5O
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 24, 2018
45+1` England 5-0 Panama
Harry Kane, top of the goalscoring charts with Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku. Four goals for him in the tournament, five today for England. This is a rout.
45` Harry Kane scores!
Harry Kane slams the ball right into the right top corner just as the previous penalty!
44` England 4-0 Panama
Panama has not been pleased with the refereeing today but there can’t be any complaints about the decision to award a second penalty to England. Godoy wrestled Kane to the ground, perhaps taking cue from the let-offs Tunisia enjoyed the other night against England. Panama, however, are not so lucky
43` England win another penalty!
England win a corner. It is taken but the referee spots Stones and Kane being held back by Panamanian defenders and awards the Three Lions a penalty. Fidel Escobar is also booked
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