Panama? We could have…

The Scotsman has always prided itself on its impartiality. We strive to hear all sides of a story and to report without judgment.

But we must admit that, despite our very best efforts, we struggle to remain level-headed when it comes to major sporting events involving any English national team.

Yesterday, England thrashed Panama 6-1 in their first round World Cup clash with a hat-trick for Harry Kane.

But to hear commentators and pundits across the broadcast media, one might have thought the team had won the entire tournament rather than seeing off a squad that would have struggled to keep up the pace in the English Premiership.

Frequently, the Panamanian defenders simply grabbed their opponents in bear hugs rather than attempting any actual football.

It was an important victory – seeing the UK’S only World Cup representatives through to the knock-out stages – but England’s opponents were never impressive.

In fact, we’d go so far as to say that, on a good day, with the wind at their backs, the Scotland team could have held Panama to a draw.