Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup competition during a 2-0 victory over Panama on Saturday, as the Three Lions secured first place in Group L at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kane’s goal in the 67th minute marked his 11th World Cup strike, surpassing the previous record held jointly with Gary Lineker.
Kane’s milestone came when he outjumped Panama’s Andrés Andrade to head home a cross, beating goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera to extend England’s lead following Jude Bellingham’s opener in the 62nd minute. Bellingham scored after receiving a corner kick from Bukayo Saka, managing to stab the ball past Mosquera despite being held by defender Jorge Gutiérrez. The goal was Bellingham’s third career World Cup goal and his second in this tournament. With this match, Kane has now scored three goals in the current World Cup and has reached 82 goals overall for England.
The match unfolded under rainy conditions before a vocal crowd that transformed MetLife Stadium into a venue reminiscent of Wembley. Panama held England scoreless for the entire first half, during which Kane had only 10 touches on the ball, the fewest of any player on the pitch.
England, wearing red jerseys for the first time in a World Cup since their 2018 quarterfinal win over Sweden, finished the group stage with two wins and one draw, accumulating seven points. This result places them in a more advantageous path for the knockout rounds. Their next match is scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta, likely against Senegal or Congo. The winner of that fixture would then face either Mexico or Ecuador in Mexico City.
Had England finished second in the group, their round of 32 opponents would probably have been Colombia or Portugal, with the potential next round against teams such as Spain, Austria, or Algeria.
Panama, meanwhile, concluded the tournament without a point for the second consecutive World Cup, joining a list of mostly CONCACAF nations, including Iraq, Haiti, El Salvador, Canada, and Mexico, that have lost all six of their World Cup matches across appearances. Although José Fajardo briefly found the net in stoppage time, the goal was disallowed for offside.
The crowd prominently displayed numerous Cross of St. George flags, representing a range of English clubs from Premier League sides like Tottenham, Watford, and Wolves, to lower-tier teams such as Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers, and Faversham Town.
England’s squad saw some tactical changes, with Jarell Quansah shifting to right back in place of the hamstring-injured Reece James, and Nico O’Reilly coming on at left back for Djed Spence. Coach Thomas Tuchel also rotated three midfielders, introducing Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, and Marcus Rashford, replacing Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, and Anthony Gordon, respectively. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made his 15th World Cup appearance, a tally second only to Peter Shilton among English players.