Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as England cruised to a 6-1 win over Panama in World Cup Group G in Nizhny Novgorod.
Kane hit two first half penalties while an unlikely double from John Stones and a stunning individual strike from Jessie Lingard saw England establish a 5-0 lead before the interval.
Kane deflected home a Ruben Loftus-Cheek shot to complete his hat-trick on the hour before Panama gained some consolation when Felipe Baloy fired home his nation’s first finals goal.
Tweet of the match
Star man – Harry Kane
England’s indefatigable leader turned in another top-drawer day at the office and left the pitch with the match ball and pole position in the Golden Boot race. Reacted with calmness to more rough stuff in the box and thrashed home a pair of spot-kicks in a manner not seen since Alan Shearer’s pomp. Well deserving of his good fortune for number three.
Hat-trick hero
Kane joins Sir Geoff Hurst and Gary Lineker as the only England players to score hat-tricks in a World Cup finals. It also boosts Kane’s hopes of becoming the first England player since Lineker in 1986 to win the Golden Boot, although it was called the Golden Shoe when Lineker won it. Kane’s triple adds to the dramatic double he scored in England’s opening win over Tunisia.
Top dogs
Panama’s late consolation could be more significant than it first appeared, as it means pole position in the group will come down to the fair play table if England draw their final game against Belgium on Thursday. But first place could be a poisoned chalice: looking ahead, there is a distinct possibility that the group winners’ prospective quarter-final opponents could be the winners of a last 16 showdown between Brazil and Germany.
Player ratings
England: Jordan Pickford 7, Kyle Walker 7, John Stones 9, Harry Maguire 6, Kieran Trippier 8, Ashley Young 6, Jordan Henderson 8, Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7, Jesse Lingard 8, Raheem Sterling 7, Harry Kane 9. Substitutes: Jamie Vardy (for Kane, 63) 6, Fabian Delph (for Lingard, 63) 6, Danny Rose (for Trippier, 70) 6.
Up next
England v Belgium, 28 June, Kaliningrad
Panama v Tunisia, 28 June, Saransk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here