England lived up to expectations and finished atop Group L after defeating Panama 2-0, while Croatia secured its spot in the Round of 16 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ghana in Saturday’s World Cup action.
The English didn’t break through until the second half, thanks to Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. After a first half in which Panama managed to contain the Europeans, Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute by capitalizing on a corner kick taken by Bukayo Saka and finishing inside the box past Orlando Mosquera.
Five minutes later, Bellingham struck again, this time as an assist provider, sending in a cross that Harry Kane headed home to extend the lead and seal the victory. The forward reached 82 goals with the English national team and scored his 11th World Cup goal, surpassing Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history.
With this result, the Three Lions finished at the top of the group and secured a draw that looks more favorable heading into the knockout stage.
In the other group match, Croatia secured a spot in the Round of 16 by defeating Ghana 2-1 in a game that was decided in the final minutes.
Luka Sučić put the Croatians ahead in the 31st minute with a powerful shot from outside the box, but Derrick Luckassen equalized in the 73rd minute to restore hope for the Africans.
Just when the draw seemed certain, Nikola Vlašić stepped up in the 83rd minute to head in a corner kick taken by Luka Modrić and secure the victory for Croatia, which finished second in Group L, behind only England.
Ghana, which had already secured its place in the knockout stage, finished third in the group and will compete in the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time since 2010.
