It was a great result for England. Six goals in a World Cup match is a great result against any team. This was England’s best score at any World Cup! At this stage in 2014 World Cup, England was booking their tickets home having played and lost both of their games. Fast forward to 2018 and this team has been rejuvenated by Gareth Southgate. This is the England we all want to see. England and Belgium have both qualified to the last 16 of this tournament and are level on points with England leading the group with fewer bookings.
The match began with Panama asserting their physicality with Jesse Lingard on the receiving end. However England got over that soon and scored on the 9th minute when Trippier took a corner and John Stones lost his marker to head home. The next goal came when Trippier played a through ball to Lingard who was fouled inside the box by Fidel Escobar. Kane put the ball into the net expertly. The 3rd goal came in the 36th minute when Lingard played a one-two with Sterling and curled the ball into the far top corner from the edge of the box. It was a clinical finishing from the Manchester United man. The fourth goal was scored by John Stones again off a rebound from the Panama goalkeeper by a Henderson header. The fifth goal was put in by Harry Kane and it was again from a penalty conceded by Panama due to too many fouls inside the box and Kane completed his hat-trick when Ruben Loftus Cheek’s shot deflected in off Kane’s heel. Panama however scored a late goal through Felipe Baloy.
England fans and supporters are finally starting to believe once again that England is a genuine World Cup contender.
