Thomas Tuchel, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham react after England beat Panama to qualify for last 32 as group winners.
England went into this game having already qualified, Kane and Bellingham scored in a 2-0 win, while it wasn’t thrilling, nervy moments were dealt with, and they got the job done.
So who do the Three Lions play next? It’s DR Congo in the round of 32, Mexico/Ecuador in the round of 16, Brazil/Japan/Ivory Coast/Norway in the quarter final, Argentina/Cape Verde/Australia/Egypt/Switzerland/Algeria/Colombia/Ghana in the semi final.
England’s Thomas Tuchel said to ITV Sport, as per BBC Sport’s live blog: “We did what was needed. It was what we expected: a tough match against a physical opponent. They are a difficult team to score against and we were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice.
“We were very aggressive, we had to be careful with counter attacks. We deserved to win, but it was a hard piece of work. There’s more to build on, you have to get so many details right and it’s an aggressive approach to defend the one-on-ones.
“The tournament starts again now in the knockouts. Now we collect our strengths and energy and build on what we have – we have the team spirit, fighting and belief. We will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.
“Three days, then the next match in four days. It’s not a problem, we love that and are good at that.”
On Jude Bellingham: “Good performance, happy he is in this kind of shape and everyone did what they needed to do, and Jude was a big part of that.”
On using his squad players: “I’m happy that Ollie [Watkins] is on the pitch and Jordan Henderson too, they deserve so much more than they get. It is difficult decisions for me but that’s what they signed up for.”
Jude Bellingham said to ITV Sport: “First job achieved. We came here to do it in sections and we got through the pre-games well and we achieved the first job – we got through the group and won it.
“We know what level we are at and what we want to achieve and we did in the second half. Every day we have to try to improve and it’s up to us to do that.”
On Harry Kane becoming England’s record goalscorer at World Cups: “He continues to raise his level and it is incredible. It’s everything he deserves. You see the effort he puts in as captain and how he leads us. His quality speaks for itself, he is the best.”
Kane told BBC Sport: “Solid performance. I’d say 75% really good but there is still 25% we can improve on for sure but all in all another good win. A clean sheet playing against a tricky side, they had some dangerous players, and they like to play around the corners. First half, especially, I felt that the ball kept falling to them in certain situations and it was hard to get a rhythm and maybe lacked quality in the final third. In the second half, we were better, more dominant. We controlled their transitions better, which allowed us to put pressure on and I felt like the goal was coming. To get two pretty quickly was a good feeling.
Speaking of frustrations throughout the game: “It was one of them. I felt like I was getting into good positions but the ball wasn’t quite falling for me and they defended well, defended the box well, similar to the last game. I was making good movements but it kept avoiding me.
“I had a good chance before where Jude slid me in and the keeper made a good save. As a striker, you are itching to get chances and Jude had a lovely bit of play on the left and hung a ball up perfectly for me to attack and it was nice to see it go in.”
On becoming the country’s outright all-time leading World Cup goalscorer: “It is a proud one for sure. I spoke before the tournament about the World Cup being the biggest competition we play as professional footballers, so to get to 11 goals is a proud feeling.
“It is always hard to take in. I just want to enjoy this moment with the team, enjoy being top of the table. I never take these moments for granted. Another good milestone to hit and I hope it is not the last one in this tournament.”
Kane on Jude Bellingham’s performance: “Today, you saw him in the deeper role. Jude is a player who is very versatile. Today, he was running from deep, not just with the ball but without the ball, and we worked off each other. Morgan was one causing problems.
“The way Jude works defensively, the tackles he puts in, the work he gets through, that’s where he thrives, when he is free to attack the game. He has had a bit between his teeth throughout the whole campaign since we met up in Florida to perform at the highest level and so far he is.”
Marcus Rashford told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Job done. Now it’s just about recovery and try to go again. We expect to be in this position. We work all season together to be here, so we’re happy we managed to get the job done and this little chapter is done now and we can move on and keep improving because I think we’re doing well, but we have so much to improve on and so much we’re capable of doing. For me, it’s the perfect position to be in as a team and we’re ready to kick on and do more.
“It was always going to be a tough group. There are physical teams in the last two games we played and Croatia’s you can’t give them a minute on the ball because the quality of their passing is so high, so different games but equally as tough but it doesn’t matter, we have to do whatever the game requires to try to win and we managed to do that today.
“I don’t think anyone’s playing at their peak level that we’ve seen them play at during the season but it’s a good problem to have because as individuals, as a team, we have strides to take and you never want your best performances to be in the group stage anyway and we want to kick on and grow and go full throttle against teams and try to punish them at every opportunity.”
Rashford to BBC Sport on what Thomas Tuchel’s said: “Just to enjoy the moment. It’s always a special moment to put on the England shirt but coming to a World Cup to get through the group, it’s a great achievement and us players are always focused on the next one, but he’s told us to take a moment to enjoy it and take it in.
“Now we need to push ourselves every three days – sometimes I find that is easier because it’s more what we are used to at clubs. Hopefully, we take it in our stride and make a better performance in the next game.”
On his first start of the tournament: “I just try to do my best. I’m happy to start but more importantly, I’m happy to win the points and help impact the team in a positive way.”
On if this is the best version of himself that England have had: “Probably. I still think it’s not quite my best level and I can be more of a threat, but I try to be positive and play forward passes and link the play on that side. I want to make actions to hurt the opposition. Just continue with that mindset.”
“The way I feel at the moment, get rid of the manager.” 😬 🏴
Mixed reaction from England fans after their game with Panama. pic.twitter.com/4tsajrWigD
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 28, 2026
England’s Ezri Konsa to BBC Sport: “Job done. We got the win, that’s what we wanted. We wanted to top the group, kept a clean sheet, another one, for me, that’s a positive. We need to move on quickly, another three days to recover and we will go again on Wednesday.”
On playing in all three games so far and how he would assess himself: “I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m enjoying every moment. It’s my first World Cup and to play three on the bounce is surreal. It’s a dream come true.
“Every team in this tournament is good. If you give them time and space, you’re going to give them chances. I think that’s something we need to minimise. The better the opposition, sometimes in situations like that, you can get punished and you can concede. I’m sure that’s something we’re going to work on. I think there are a lot of positives to take from today and look ahead to Wednesday.”
On what they can improve going forward: “Sometimes I think we can be more clinical in front of the goal. It’s not the easiest when teams have a lot of men behind the ball. The better the opposition, the more they will come at us, and with the quality we have up there, I’m sure we will find gaps and create more chances and hopefully score more goals.”
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