Bellingham makes the differencepublished at 09:50 BST
09:50 BST
Panama 0-2 England
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at New York New Jersey Stadium
Media caption,
Bellingham puts England ahead against Panama
England head coach Thomas Tuchel needed a game-changer in a dour struggle against Panama, after his side had played three goalless halves in succession at the World Cup.
And it was Jude Bellingham who took on the role, with quality and sheer force of will, to drag England out of a situation where, at one point, they were second in their group behind Croatia.
Bellingham pushed forward in the first half, along with the recalled Morgan Rogers, which occasionally left Elliot Anderson isolated in midfield and England vulnerable on the break.
It paid dividends, however, just after the hour when he stretched his leg around Panama’s Jorge Gutierrez to force a finish past keeper Orlando Mosquera.
And Bellingham made another decisive contribution with the cross for Kane, as the Real Madrid star rose to the challenge of lifting England out of mediocrity and to the top of their group.