Kane’s stoppage-time winner saves England
VOLGOGRAD, Russia (Reuters) – A stoppage-time header from two-goal Harry Kane gave England a 2-1 win over Tunisia in their opening World Cup Group G match on Monday night.
A 35th minute Ferjani Sassi penalty had canceled out Kane’s 11th minute opener.
After the break, England, which had wasted several good chances in the first half, struggled to break down the deep defending African side.
But from a Kieran Trippier corner, a glancing header from Harry Maguire found Kane at the back post and he nodded home to give England a winning start.
Both England and Tunisia players swatted away swarms of gnats during the match in Russia’s riverside city of Volgograd on Monday.
The area around Volgograd is known for its swamps and wide rivers, the perfect breeding ground for insects during the hot and dry summer in the Russian south.
Several players were sprayed by staff just before kick-off, but that did not appear to be enough either.
England’s Raheem Sterling looked particularly bothered by the tiny gnats circling his face before the start of the second half.
Meanwhile, a stunning volley from Dries Mertens and a Romelu Lukaku double broke the resistance of a brave Panama side on its World Cup debut as Belgium cruised to a 3-0 win in Group G.
Mertens hammered home a superb volley two minutes into the second half, sending the ball arching over Jaime Penedo after Panama struggled to clear a cross.
Lukaku’s hard work up front was rewarded when he headed home Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant pass off the outside off his foot to make it 2-0 in the 69th minute and the big striker latched on to an Eden Hazard pass to complete the scoring with a neat finish.
The announcement of the first team to represent the Central American nation at the World Cup finals was greeted by an ear-splitting roar from the thousands of flag-waving Panamanian fans dotted in clusters around the Fisht Stadium.
The debutants endured a shaky start as Lukaku went close for Belgium in the opening minute after an incisive pass from De Bruyne set Yannick Carrasco free down the left, but the striker fired wide.
Despite being forced to spend much of the game defending, the Panamanians showed strength, speed and trickery when they did break forward, and they created chances of their own in a scoreless first half.
Belgium wasted no time in the second period as Mertens quickly opened the scoring and as the underdogs started to chase an equalizer the space opened up.
The Belgians showcased an array of clever set-pieces and will be happy with their performance against a physical Panama side ahead of games against Tunisia and England.
“That first win in the World Cup is always a special moment. Panama, as we expected, played very organized, very well-drilled, but we were patient,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez told reporters.
“The second half, that little bit of quality of Dries Mertens and then Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku with Kevin De Bruyne being instrumental in those attacks.”
In Monday’s early match, Andreas Granqvist drilled a penalty kick into the right corner of the net in the 65th minute to lift Sweden over South Korea in Group F play in Moscow.
A video review set up the chance for the Swedish captain, and he connected to give Sweden its first World Cup win since 2006. Officials used replay technology to confirm Kim Min-woo tripped Viktor Claesson to create Granqvist’s chance.
“The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it... I was pretty sure,” Granqvist said of the wait.
The result brought wild celebrations from hordes of yellow-clad Swedish fans, fearful their team would draw another blank after failing to score in their last three games.
Sweden had not won an opening World Cup game since 1958, when it was the host and eventual runner-up.
Swedish coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was “crystal-clear,” adding: “I felt the wait for VAR was unnecessary.”
South Korea missed on its opportunity to tie in front of the goal when Hwang Hee-chan’s header sailed wide.
Striker Son Heung-min blamed himself for South Korea’s defeat, saying he did not do enough to help lift his teammates.
Son is regarded as the only world-class player in the Korean side and he felt a burden of responsibility given his profile from the Premier League.
“I’m really disappointed with my own performance. I feel I should be the one who makes things happen for my teammates but I didn’t play well,” Son told reporters.
“It didn’t go to plan and I just didn’t play well,” the Tottenham Hotspur forward added.
Up next for Sweden is a matchup with Germany, which lost to Mexico 1-0. Mexico next plays South Korea.