PANAMARGH!

England’s Group G rivals vow to carry on the rough stuff which left Hazard limping

AS Eden Hazard limped away from the Fisht Stadium, the warning signs for England were obvious.

The Chelsea star sported a huge beige bandage that ran from just below his knee, under his sock and around his ankle.

First-class evidence of the mark the Panamanians left on him (left) as the competition’s debutants produced a nakedly robust approach during a 3-0 defeat to Belgium in Sochi.

Five yellow cards reinforces that line. Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe could – and perhaps should – have handed out more.

However, any suggestions that these tactics might be eased off against Harry Kane & Co in Nizhny Novgorod were scotched after the final whistle.

Panama skipper Roman Torres (right) – the heaviest player in the tournament – was unapologetic.

“I don’t know what people are moaning about,” he said. “This is football, you always have to impose yourself.

“You have to mark out your territory.

“I think we competed well against Belgium. When there were tackles, they got stuck in as much as we did.

“We don’t have a reputation for this. We’ve lost players from our team because of injuries from the way opponents played against us.”

Torres was referring to colleague Alberto Quintero, whose dreams of playing in Russia were dashed when he picked up a broken foot against Norway in a pre-competition friendly.

And it was not all one-way traffic.

Belgium picked up three cautions too – but the foul count was markedly in the Panamanians’ favour.

None of it will change in four days’ time, judging by the tone.

Torres’s team-mate Jose Luis Rodriguez said: “It will be difficult against England. We will have to be well-organised and use the same structure. “We are going to take the same approach, we’ll be physical. They’re at a similar level to Belgium.” Red Devils’ boss Roberto Martinez is no managerial rookie, and his message after the final whistle was clear: Give my boys more protection. However Hazard, who according to pretty much all of his colleagues is enjoying the best form of his life, didn’t play the game. It’s not unusual for Stamford Bridge regulars to see him receive the treatment. But he refused to join in, despite hobbling on to the team coach, saying: “It’s always the same.

“I can complain and say I need more protection but I don’t like to do that.

“I’m used to it. I try to get free-kicks and cards.

“It’s normal if you are a player who has lots of the ball and likes to dribble.

“We knew what would happen before the game.

“They have good players, strong players. And they play with certain qualities, that’s why we had some problems in the first half.

“But by the end of the game we won 3-0, so we’re happy.”