Bellingham, Kane send England into knockout stage as Group L winners

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck five minutes apart in the second half as England defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday to finish top of Group L at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The victory gave England seven points from three matches and secured a more favorable route into the knockout stage. Thomas Tuchel's side will face DR Congo in the round of 32, avoiding a potential meeting with Colombia or Portugal in the next phase.

After a quiet opening 45 minutes, England broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute. Bukayo Saka's corner found Bellingham inside the six-yard box, where the midfielder stretched out his left leg to poke the ball past Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera despite being tightly marked.

The Three Lions doubled their advantage five minutes later. Bellingham turned provider with a cross from the left, and Harry Kane rose above Andrés Andrade to head home his 11th FIFA World Cup goal, moving past Gary Lineker as England's all-time leading World Cup scorer.

Panama thought they had pulled one back deep into stoppage time when José Fajardo found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The Central Americans finished the tournament without a point after losing all three of their games. 

England completed the group stage with two wins and one draw, extending the country's consistent record of reaching the knockout rounds since 2018. The winner of England's round of 32 tie against DR Congo will take on either Mexico or Ecuador in the next round.

Elsewhere in Group L, Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 in Philadelphia to secure second place in the standings and set up a round of 32 meeting with Portugal. Ghana also advanced despite the defeat and will take on Colombia in the knockout stage.

With both teams knowing a draw would be enough to progress, the opening stages were short on attacking intent. Neither side managed a shot or a touch inside the opponent's penalty area until Nikola Vlasic sent Croatia's first effort narrowly wide after 17 minutes.

Croatia finally broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark. Petar Sucic found space more than 30 yards from goal before driving a low strike into the bottom-left corner, handing Zlatko Dalic's side the lead and forcing Ghana to chase the game.

Vlasic later doubled Croatia's advantage by meeting Luka Modric's corner with a well-placed header, leaving the Black Stars with too much to do despite pulling a goal back. The result confirmed Croatia as Group L runners-up and kept Ghana in third place heading into the knockout stage.

In Group K, the Democratic Republic of Congo earned a come from behind 3-1 over tournament debutants Uzbekistan, securing a place in the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. The victory set up a round of 32 meeting with England, while Central Asians Uzbekistan bow out having learnt a lot of lessons from their maiden showpiece appearance. 

Uzbekistan struck first through Eldor Shomurodov, whose delicate finish gave Fabio Cannavaro's side an early advantage. DR Congo responded before halftime as Yoane Wissa converted from the penalty spot after Abdukodir Khusanov brought him down inside the area, restoring parity and shifting the momentum.

Fiston Mayele completed the turnaround early in the second half, and Wissa added his second goal in stoppage time to seal a memorable victory. The Newcastle United forward finished the group stage with three goals as DR Congo celebrated its first World Cup win and a historic place in the knockout rounds.

Colombia also finished Group K unbeaten after a 0-0 draw with Portugal, a result that left the South Americans top of the section. Both teams had already qualified before kickoff, but the draw confirmed Colombia's meeting with Ghana and sent Portugal into a round of 32 tie against Croatia.

Portugal had the better chances in what was an open game. Bruno Fernandes was denied by Camilo Vargas in the first half, while Diogo Costa made six saves at the other end to keep Colombia out as the group winners pushed for a late breakthrough.

Davinson Sánchez thought he had won it for Colombia in stoppage time when he headed in at the back post, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Colombia advanced with seven points after wins over Uzbekistan and DR Congo, while Portugal moved on as Group K runners-up.

Elsewhere in Group J, Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 in Arlington. The defending champions will begin the knockout stage against Cabo Verde. Algeria and Austria held each other 3-3. Both advanced to the round of 32.