England are through to the World Cup last 32 as Group L winners after seeing off Panama 2-0, and while it was not always pretty, it was ultimately a job done without too much drama. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane got the goals, which will surprise absolutely nobody, and Thomas Tuchel's side can now look forward to the knockout rounds with a bit of momentum behind them.
Bellingham was the one who got things moving, and honestly, when is he not? The lad continues to look like he was built in a lab specifically to play football at the highest level. His goal gave England the platform they needed, and Kane did what Kane does — stuck the ball in the net to put the game to bed. Say what you want about England, but having those two on the pitch gives you a fighting chance against pretty much anyone.
Panama, to be fair to them, were not here just to make up the numbers. They worked hard and made it a proper contest for long enough that England could not afford to switch off completely. But the quality gap was always going to show eventually, and it did.
The word 'labour' in the headline feels about right though. England did not exactly take Panama apart with slick, free-flowing football. There were spells where they looked a bit ponderous and perhaps over-complicated things when the simple option was staring them in the face. Tuchel will know that. He is not the sort of manager to sit back and think everything is fine just because the scoreline reads well.
Still, winning a group at a World Cup is nothing to sniff at. England have done the sensible thing and given themselves the best possible route into the knockout stages, and with players like Bellingham and Kane in form, they are absolutely a team that other nations will not be rushing to face. Whether they can go deep into the tournament is a different conversation, but right now, the signs are encouraging enough.
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