Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another to ensure England qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds as group winners on Saturday with a laboured 2-0 victory over Panama in New Jersey. Bellingham provided the crucial breakthrough for England with a 62nd-minute goal at a rainswept MetLife Stadium and then provided the cross for Harry Kane to double England’s advantage to seal top spot in Group L.
Until Bellingham’s intervention, England had looked to be heading for another lacklustre stalemate following their 0-0 draw with Ghana in their second group game. But the Three Lions’ victory means they will now face one of the best third-placed teams in the last 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday, rather than a potential meeting with Portugal in the knockout rounds.
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“It was what we expected: a tough match against a physical opponent,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said. “They are a difficult team to score against and we were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice,” Tuchel added before confidently predicting England would improve during the knockout phase. “We will step up,” the German said. “The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.”
Croatia meanwhile made sure of claiming second place in the group behind England with a 2-1 victory over Ghana in Philadelphia. Petar Sucic and Nikola Vlasic scored the goals for Croatia, as Ghana were forced to settle for third. Croatia’s win extinguished Scotland’s hopes of squeezing into the last 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, confirming their elimination from the tournament.
Friday’s results had already guaranteed England, Croatia, and Ghana a place in the knockout rounds, with the only issue to be settled the order of qualification. Croatia will face the second-placed team in Group K in the last 32, which will be decided later Saturday when Portugal face Colombia at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
After winning their first two group matches, Colombia lead Portugal by two points and need only a draw to be sure of topping the group. The Portuguese entered the tournament among the favourites, but stumbled in their opening game with a lacklustre 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo. They sparked back to life in their next game, pummeling Uzbekistan 5-0 with two goals from 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo. A victory on Saturday could lead to a theoretically easier last 32 opponent, with the Group K winner facing a third-placed side in the next round.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez insists though he is not looking further than Saturday’s opponents. “The focus is to try to win the game and not think about the next opponent,” Martinez said. “If you want to do well in a tournament, you have to beat anyone and everyone. There’s no single right path or position. What matters is that we play at our best, and you can only do that by winning.”
After Friday’s hectic round of fixtures, just four places among the last 32 remain to be filled, with 28 teams having already advanced. Among those countries facing a nervous wait on Saturday to see if they will advance are Iran, who suffered heartache on Friday when they drew 1-1 with Egypt in Seattle. Iran thought they had clinched a dramatic injury time winner that would have propelled them into the knockout rounds, only for the goal to be ruled offside. Egypt though go into the round of 32 and coach Hossam Hassan played down worries over star player Mohamed Salah, who was substituted after taking a knock.
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