For once, at a World Cup finals England could enjoy themselves, cut loose, score a bucket-load of goals, and giggle at the fact that Harry Kane’s hat-trick goal that makes him the tournament top goalscorer was a flukey deflection off his heel.
And so the records tumbled: not since the 1966 final have they scored four or more in one World Cup game and Kane becomes only the third Englishman to bag three at the tournament, joining the illustrious company of Geoff Hurst and Gary Lineker. Goodness knows, Panama were awful but too often these kind of games have been a joyless war of attrition for England, decided only when the blow-hards on the other side run out of steam.
The question now ahead of Thursday’s game against Belgium is whether first or second place in the group suits them best. Both nations have identical records at the top of Group G.
Panama are not non-leaguers – there are no big names among them but the team ranked No 55 in the world by Fifa has players at good clubs in the United States and Chile and drew with the US in qualification.
There was no question that Panama were a disorganised bunch, and even worse at defending corners where they marshaled the England players with all the grace of a new pub landlord trying to break up his first fight. England got wise to that quick, with John Stones plundering his first with a header while Panama were consumed with trying to turn Harry Maguire upside down.
There were two first half penalties for Kane, another for Stones and a right foot beauty from Jesse Lingard. There were sharp set-pieces and cool heads as Panama’s players threatened to lose the plot. In the second half, Gareth Southgate could make changes including Kane who got his third deflecting Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot. England controlled the game apart from the set piece that created substitute Felip Baloy’s goal.
.the telegraph
