England made light work of Panama in a 6-1 thumping in their second match of the group stage. Southgate’s men ran riot as Harry Kane, John Stones and Jesse Lingard found themselves on the scoresheet. One could argue that Panama didn’t offer enough resistance and they often shot themselves in the foot but England deserve credit for such a comprehensive win.
England captain Harry Kane completed a memorable world cup hat-trick as the Three Lions ensured safe passage into the knockout stages. John Stones will also remember the game fondly because of his brace. Baloy, the oldest Panama player at 37, wrote his name in the history books as he found the back of the net by scoring a consolation goal for his team.
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford: 6.5
The Everton goalkeeper didn’t have much to do before he saw his net bulge through a set-piece in the second half. Could have done better but won’t bother much because of the margin.
Kyle Walker: 7.5
The wing-back has been doing a decent job as a defender for England. A solid display where he showcased his passing ability by picking out teammates in dangerous positions.
John Stones: 8.5
The young defender had no goals to show for his national team at the start of the game but came out with 2 memorable headed goals after the match ended.
Harry Maguire: 7
The Leicester man looked shaky on a couple of occasions and failed to match his partners in terms of performance.
Kieran Trippier: 8.5
A striker’s dream wing-back, Trippier provided some great deliveries into the box. Got a deserved assist when Stones turned his corner into the net.
Ashley Young: 6.5
Young was uncharacteristically silent in today’s game as he couldn’t make any significant impact.
Jordan Henderson: 7
The deep-lying midfielder did his job of connecting the defence with the attack. Nothing flashy but was efficient in what he did.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6
The youngster had a great chance to impress after replacing an injured Alli in the team. Got an assist but didn’t do much to make a case for himself as he found himself uninvolved in most of England’s moves.
Jesse Lingard: 8.5
One of the best English players on the pitch. Won a penalty and scored an absolute screamer from outside the box. Made a number of threatening runs to trouble Panama defenders all the time.
Raheem Sterling: 7
Much like Loftus-Cheek, he got an assist but still disappointed. The winger has not scored a goal for England in almost 3 years now. A burden he would like to get rid of quickly.
Harry Kane: 9
The captain got a hat-trick to hand his team a comprehensive win. Two well-taken penalties and a deflected goal.
Substitutes:
Rose: 6, Vardy: 6, Delph: 6