England crush Panama 61 as Kane scores hattrick
COMMANDING SHOW England march into prequarter finals in style with 61 verdict vs debutants
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Harry Kane struck a hat-trick as England’s young and free-flowing team banished the ghost of past failures with a record 6-1 thrashing of feeble Panama on Sunday that eased them into the last 16. England’s biggest-ever World Cup win, featuring two penalties by Kane then a fortuitous deflection off his heel, also guaranteed Belgium’s berth in the next round.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD : If there were concerns over England’s ability to cope with the heat here --- it touched 32 degrees Celsius on Sunday --- after the cooler climes of Repino where they are based, they were dispelled within minutes. Skipper Harry Kane hit a hattrick and John Stones got two as England romped to a 6-1 win against debutants Panama to book a round-of-16 berth.
When Jesse Lingard went down clutching his face after being elbowed by Gabriel Gomez, it seemed England would be in for a bruising evening. It turned out to be anything but. Six minutes later, Panama’s defensive discipline lay in tatters when an unmarked Stones headed in Kieran Trippier’s teasing cornerkick. By the 20th minute, it was 2-0; Kane having scored from the penalty-spot after Lingard was felled by Fidel Escobar.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who started for Dele Alli, controlled the midfield with Jordan Henderson and Lingard who would fall back. Lingard was a livewire and he made it 3-0 with a curling beauty after cutting in and exchanging passes with Raheem Sterling. Four minutes later, England scored again, from a sequence of three headers. The first was by Kane. His effort reached Sterling, whose header was saved by Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. The ball fell to Stones who got his second.
Referee Grisha Ghead awarded his second penalty of the half when Anibal Godoy was caught grappling with Kane during an England corner-kick. Similar effort from Kane and similar result.
At half-time, Panama players gathered around the centre circle and spoke to each other before going to the dressing room.
They came out better organised defensively but England were thwarted only till the hour mark when Kane got his third after a harmless shot from LoftusCheek hit him on the way in.
Coach Gareth Southgate immediately replaced Kane with Jamie Vardy. England slowed the tempo and Panama surged in search of some consolation. They finally struck when a free-kick from substitute Ricardo Avila found fellow substitute Felipe Baloy who beat England goalie Jordan Pickford.
The goal was met with the loudest roar and even head coach Hernan Dario Gomez couldn’t resist a smile.