Panama 0-2 England Highlights, FIFA World Cup 2026: Bellingham's Goal, Assist Makes Three Lions Group L Toppers

Greetings, we are back with our FIFA World Cup 2026 live blog as Panama and England face-off in the Group L decider. The action is about to begin, so stay tuned for all the live updates from New York New Jersey Stadium .

Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026

Stage: Group Stage (Group L)

Kickoff Time: 5:00 PM EDT on June 27, 2026 (2:30 AM IST on June 28, 2026)

Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States

Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports network on television. For live streaming, one can catch the action on the Zee5 app and website.

England and Panama have faced each other only once in their history, a group stage match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the 2018 match, England dominated with a 6–1 victory, featuring a hat-trick from Harry Kane and a brace from John Stones.

Panama’s Felipe Baloy scored the nation's first-ever World Cup goal as a consolation in the 78th minute.

In Group L of the FIFA World Cup 2026, England and Ghana enter the final matchday level on four points, followed by Croatia with three points, while Panama has been eliminated from contention. England will guarantee advancement with a win or draw against Panama, and they will likely secure the top spot with a victory, depending on the goal-difference tiebreakers relative to Ghana. Ghana also controls their own destiny, as a win or draw against Croatia would see them through to the Round of 32, with a victory potentially earning them first place if England fails to win. For Croatia, the path is straightforward: a win against Ghana guarantees progression, while a draw would leave them with four points and a -1 goal difference, putting their qualification for the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams in the hands of other groups' results.

Orlando Mosquera; Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Jose Cordoba, Andres Andrade, Jorge Gutierrez; Cristian Martinez, Carlos Harvey, Yoel Barcenas, Jose Luis Rodriguez; Tomas Rodriguez

SUBS: Luis Mejia, Cesar Blackman, Edgardo Farina, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Ismael Diaz, Cesar Samudio, Jiovany Ramos, Eric Davis, Jose Fajardo, Cecilio Waterman, Alberto Quintero, Anibal Godoy, Cesar Yanis, Azarias Londono, Roderick Miller

Jordan Pickford; Jarell Quansah, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly; Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane

SUBS: Declan Rice, John Stones, Trevoh Chalobah, Dean Henderson, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Kobbie Mainoo, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Ivan Toney, James Trafford, Djed Spence

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L finale between Panama and England is currently underway at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Panama wasted no time making their presence felt, threatening the England goal within the opening seconds. A long ball from José Córdoba bypassed England's defensive line, finding Tomás Rodríguez, who controlled the ball before unleashing a left-footed strike.

England's Marcus Rashford has made a lively start to the Group L finale against Panama. In the early stages of the match, the winger was picked out on the left flank by Elliot Anderson, cutting inside to unleash a dangerous low-driven effort toward the bottom left corner. Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera was forced into a sharp save to turn the ball behind for a corner, denying England an opening goal.

The FIFA World Cup is currently in its final stages of the group phase, with the race for the Round of 32 reaching its climax. 28 teams have successfully secured their progression to the knockout stages, leaving just four spots remaining to complete the bracket. The tournament structure grants advancement to the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, alongside the eight best-ranked third-placed teams. With the final matches in Groups J, K, and L currently determining the last of these berths, contenders such as Croatia and DR Congo are among those still fighting to secure their places in the next round.

Panama continues to prove they are a threat on the counter-attack in this Group L clash. Following clinical hold-up play from Tomás Rodríguez, the ball was played into space for Martínez, who quickly surged forward before threading a pass to José Luis Rodríguez deep inside England’s defensive third. England’s defense was briefly exposed, but a heavy touch from the Panama forward allowed Marc Guéhi to recover and scramble back, successfully clearing the danger before a shot could be fired.

Panama continues to exploit England’s defensive vulnerabilities on the counter-attack shortly after the hydration break. A misplaced header from Marc Guéhi allowed Panama to break quickly, with Tomás Rodríguez threading a ball through to José Luis Rodríguez on the left. The forward drove into the box and unleashed a dangerous left-footed strike that Jordan Pickford had to palm behind for a corner. While England successfully cleared the subsequent set-piece, this marks the third instance in the match where Panama’s speed on the break has threatened to break the deadlock against the Three Lions.

England is ramping up the pressure on Panama, carving out a golden opportunity for Marcus Rashford at the back post. After an initial cross was intercepted, Panama’s Gutierrez surrendered possession under heavy pressure, allowing Bukayo Saka to regain the ball. Saka quickly linked up with Elliot Anderson, whose pinpoint cross found Rashford lurking at the far post; however, Rashford could not direct his header downward, sending the ball narrowly over the bar. Despite the well-constructed attacking sequence, the score remains deadlocked at 0-0.

Referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim’s whistle brought a frantic first half to a close with Panama and England locked in a 0–0 stalemate. England dominated the play and pressured the Panama defense throughout, coming agonizingly close to an opener when Marcus Rashford sent a curling right-footed free-kick whistling just inches past the bottom right-hand post in the dying moments of the half. While England controlled the tempo, Panama looked dangerous whenever they broke, exposing the Three Lions on the counter-attack multiple times and forcing Jordan Pickford to make a sharp save to keep the score level at the break.

On the other hand, Croatia holds a 1–0 lead over Ghana as the referee blows the whistle for half-time in their pivotal Group L encounter. This crucial breakthrough has shifted the live qualification landscape significantly, putting Croatia in a strong position to secure their spot in the Round of 32. While Ghana has shown flashes of danger on the counter-attack, they must now find a response in the second half to keep their tournament hopes alive, with the intensity of the match reaching a fever pitch as both sides recognize the massive implications for the knockout brackets.

You can follow the live score of the Croatia vs Ghana match here.

England nearly broke the deadlock in a bizarre sequence of events as Panama somehow survived a massive scare. Marcus Rashford fizzed a dangerous, low cross into the heart of the box from the right flank, causing panic in the Panama defense. Defender José Córdoba desperately stuck out a foot to clear the delivery, but his attempted clearance struck teammate Andrés Andrade, with the ball narrowly bouncing behind for a corner rather than into the back of the net. It was a massive stroke of luck for the team in white, as the ball could easily have bobbled into their own goal to hand the Three Lions the lead, but the score incredibly remains 0-0.

England came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock again as they showcased their blistering counter-attacking pace. After O'Reilly expertly stole possession on the halfway line, he immediately released Marcus Rashford, who drove with intent all the way into the Panama penalty area. With the goal in his sights, the England forward looked to fire a low strike inside the near post with his left foot, but he could only ripple the side-netting. It was a golden opportunity for the Three Lions, but the score remains locked at 0-0 as the pressure on the Panama defense continues to mount.

Harry Kane finally found a sight of goal, but he couldn't quite provide the finishing touch for England. Jude Bellingham expertly picked out the striker with a perfectly weighted ball, releasing him in behind the Panama defense. Kane unleashed a fierce, low-driven right-footed strike, but it proved to be at a comfortable height for Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera. Mosquera reacted quickly to palm the ball away from danger, denying the England captain in a situation where he would usually be expected to score. The chance goes begging, and the frustration continues for the Three Lions as the match remains deadlocked at 0-0.

GOAL! Jude Bellingham breaks the deadlock for England!

The Three Lions have finally found the breakthrough they have been chasing, and it comes courtesy of their talismanic number 10. Following an out-swinging corner from Bukayo Saka, the ball fell perfectly for Bellingham, who showcased incredible technique to hook his left leg around the ball and fire a clinical volley into the bottom left-hand corner. It was a brilliant, composed finish under pressure, finally rewarding England for their persistent attacking efforts. The goal shifts the landscape of Group L, giving England a 1–0 lead over Panama and breathing a massive sigh of relief for the Three Lions.

GOAL! Harry Kane doubles England’s lead!

England has firmly seized control of the match, as Harry Kane rises to the occasion to make it 2–0. The goal was masterminded by Jude Bellingham, who latched onto a pinpoint long ball from Marcus Rashford before displaying magnificent vision to chip a delicate delivery perfectly onto the head of the England captain. Kane made no mistake from close range, clinically guiding his header home to extend the Three Lions' advantage. With this strike, the captain has officially become England's all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, capping off a decisive few minutes that have all but guaranteed the top spot in Group L for his side.

The landscape of Group L has shifted further following news from Philadelphia, where Ghana has equalized to make it 1–1 against Croatia. This result works heavily in England's favor; combined with their 2–0 lead over Panama, the Three Lions now sit two points clear at the top of the group, putting them in an excellent position to secure first place and a favorable path in the knockout stages.

Panama have struggled to find their clinical edge in the second half, registering eight attempts without forcing a save on target. Despite being already eliminated from the tournament, they have remained competitive and dangerous going forward, though they continue to search for their first goal of the 2026 World Cup campaign.

England squandered a golden opportunity to extend their lead to 3–0 after a perfectly crafted chance at the back post. Noni Madueke did brilliantly to pick out Marcus Rashford with an inviting cross, but the forward’s first-time right-footed volley lacked the necessary connection. Rashford appeared to slightly scuff the strike, and he could only watch in frustration as the ball skewed wide of the goal and behind for a goal-kick. It was a rare lapse in precision for the Three Lions, who continue to dominate proceedings as the match nears its conclusion.

Croatia have secured a dramatic 2–1 victory over Ghana in Philadelphia, with Nikola Vlašić netting the decisive goal in the 83rd minute. While the result moves Croatia to six points and confirms their status as a group qualifier, the win is ultimately bittersweet in the context of the group standings. With England simultaneously winning their match against Panama, Croatia finishes as the runner-up in Group L, trailing the Three Lions by a single point.

England came within inches of adding a third goal to their tally as Noni Madueke nearly capped off a dominant performance. After being expertly played through by Morgan Rogers, Madueke found himself with a clear path to goal and opted to drive a fierce right-footed effort toward the bottom corner. Orlando Mosquera, who has been kept incredibly busy throughout the second half, produced a vital reactive save, diving quickly to block the shot and deny England a late third. It was a sharp piece of goalkeeping to ensure the scoreline remained at 2–0, preventing the Three Lions from extending their margin further in the closing stages.

Heartbreak for Panama as they thought they had finally registered their first goal of the tournament, only to see it ruled out by an offside flag. The sequence began when Eric Davis played a sharp ball through to José Fajardo, who raced behind the England defensive line. Fajardo kept his composure to drive into the penalty area and lash a brilliant strike into the top right-hand corner, but the assistant referee’s flag was raised almost immediately. While replays confirmed the decision was technically correct, it was an agonizingly tight call that denied the Panamanian side a moment of pure relief.

The referee's final whistle has confirmed England as the winners of Group L after a controlled 2–0 victory over Panama. Second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane secured the Three Lions' top-place finish, leaving Panama without a point from their group stage campaign. England now turn their attention to a Round of 32 clash against Senegal. While the two nations have history—notably England's 3–0 victory in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar—Senegal’s recent 3–1 friendly win over England in June 2025 serves as a stern reminder of the challenge awaiting Thomas Tuchel’s side in the knockout stage