…Colombia sets up final group cracker against Senegal
England recorded their biggest ever World Cup finals win by thrashing Panama 6-1 on Sunday to breeze through to the knockout stage after two games.
A hat-trick from captain Harry Kane — which means he is now the leading scorer in the tournament with five goals — two from John Stones, his first ever in an England shirt, and a beauty from Jesse Lingard completed the crushing victory.
The result also confirmed Belgium’s qualification for the knockout stage and means Panama exit the tournament alongside Tunisia.
The records tumbled for England on an easy afternoon by the River Volga.
The rout was the first time England have scored more than four goals at a World Cup finals since winning the tournament in 1966.
It was the first time in England’s history they have managed five goals in a first half and Kane became the first England player to score a World Cup hat-trick since Gary Linekar in 1986.
It is also the first time they have qualified for the knockout stage since 2010, and the biggest victory so far at this tournament.
Intriguingly, it also means they are level on points, goal difference and goals scored with Belgium in Group G. The two sides meet in Kaliningrad on Thursday.
Despite the result, England started slowly and it was Panama who should have scored first in the fifth minute when Anibal Godoy blasted high and wide after the Central Americans carved open England’s defence.
England took the lead in the eighth minute when John Stones powered home a header from a Kieran Trippier corner, held up by the referee because of wrestling and pushing by the Panamanians, something which was set to become a theme of the match.
England extended their lead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Lingard was brought down in the box by two defenders.
That opened the floodgates.
Lingard scored the game’s best goal in the 36th minute, a 20-yard curling shot past a helpless Jaime Penedo, then Stones added his second four minutes later, another header, following an intricate England free-kick.
Following Panama complaints, the goal was referred to VAR for offside but allowed to stand.
Kane then scored his second penalty in first-half injury time after he was almost farcically wrestled over at a corner, despite further Panama complaints.
At that stage, Panama, who received five bookings in their first match and three more here, threatened to implode, so bad was their lack of discipline.
Kane’s hat-trick was completed in bizarre fashion in the 62nd minute after a Ruben Loftus-Cheek deflected off the English captain’s heel into the net.
Again, the referee checked with VAR for offside, but once more the goal stood.
The second-half was largely an anti-climax, with Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling going close to making it seven.
However, the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for the 78th minute when Felipe Baloy scored Panama’s first ever finals goal.
Senegal and Japan missed the chance to take a giant stride towards the World Cup knockout stages after playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Ekaterinburg Arena.
After winning their opening games, three points for either side would have made them outright Group H leaders and put them in pole position for a last-16 berth.
As it is, they will have to endure an anxious wait for the result of Poland and Colombia’s clash later on Sunday to know what they need to do in the final round of fixtures on Thursday.
Eiji Kawashima was slow to react to Juan Quintero’s goal for Colombia in Japan’s opening 2-1 win and the goalkeeper was again at fault for Sadio Mane’s early opener, punching against the forward’s leg when it looked easier to catch.
His blushes were spared 11 minutes before the interval, though, when Takashi Inui whipped superbly into the bottom far corner from just inside the penalty area.
Moussa Wague thought he had snatched all three points for Aliou Cisse’s side in the 71st minute, but substitute Keisuke Honda ensured a share of the spoils with a close-range finish 12 minutes from time.
Senegal started with a spring in their step and were rewarded with the opening goal after 11 minutes, albeit in fortuitous circumstances.
Genki Haraguchi’s weak headed clearance fell kindly to Youssouf Sabaly, whose tame shot was inexplicably punched against Mane’s shin by Kawashima inside the six-yard box.
The Liverpool forward knew little about it, but watched on in delight as the ball nestled in the corner for his first World Cup goal.
Japan had scarcely posed a threat during the first half, but they pulled level with their first clear sight of goal after 34 minutes.
Yuto Nagatomo controlled a long ball inside the left of the area before finding Inui around 15 yards from goal, the Real Betis forward whipping a fine right-footed strike into Khadim N’Diaye’s bottom corner.
Senegal should have restored their advantage six minutes before the interval when M’Baye Niang latched onto Badou Ndiaye’s through ball. The striker’s rushed half-volley was too close to Kawashima, though, who was able to push way to safety.
Yuya Osako squandered a glorious opportunity to put his side ahead on the hour, somehow failing to make any contact with Gaku Shibasaki’s cross from just six yards out.
Inui then came agonisingly close to scoring his second of the game four minutes later when his wonderful curled effort from a surging break bounced off the crossbar.
Those missed opportunities were brought into sharp focus after 71 minutes when Wague steamed in at the back post to meet Sabaly’s low cross and crash a powerful strike into the roof of the net
Radamel Falcao scored his first World Cup goal as Colombia revived their hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout phase with a 3-0 victory over Poland, who now cannot reach the last 16.
Monaco striker Falcao stroked home his 30th international goal, making him the first player from Colombia to reach such a milestone, midway through the second half of a cagey encounter in Kazan, where defeat for either side would have meant elimination from the competition.
Barcelona defender Yerry Mina scored the opener, powering a header beyond Wojciech Szczesny five minutes before half-time to enliven the contest, and it was the creativity and industry of Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez that picked apart Poland’s tightly stitched seams.
The presence of James, fully fit again after a calf injury, vastly improved Colombia’s link-up play following a below-par performance in their opening 2-1 defeat to Japan, and he provided the assist for Cuadrado to add a third goal that put the game well beyond Poland.
Victory leaves Jose Pekerman’s side on three points in Group H, one point behind co-leaders Japan and Senegal ahead of their crunch match against the latter on Thursday.
Poland will have a role to play in deciding the fate of the group when they take on Japan, but ultimately head coach Adam Nawalka can have few complaints about being dumped out of the competition after two games in which his side failed to provide talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski with adequate service.
The first ever meeting between these two sides began with a number of heavy challenges at both ends of the field that prevented the game from developing into an early rhythm.
Colombia started to dominate the midfield and launched attacks down the right flank through Cuadrado, but the Juventus winger failed to penetrate a packed Poland defence.
Nawalka’s side set their stall out to avoid falling behind as they did in the first half of their 2-1 defeat to Senegal and Colombia’s chances of breaking their resolve were hit by an injury to Abel Aguilar, who was taken from the field on a stretcher in the 32nd minute and replaced by Mateus Uribe.
But shortly after Cuadrado came alive, running at the Poland defence and starting a move that culminated with an exquisitely weighted cross by James that was met by the head of Mina, who lost his marker to head over Szczesny’s outstretched arms and into the net.
Juan Quintero fired wide from 25 yards as Colombia started the second half brightly and Cuadrado then squared to Falcao on the edge of the box, but the Monaco striker lifted his shot well over the crossbar.
The isolated Lewandowski’s first real chance of the game arrived in the 58th minute when he controlled a long pass brilliantly only to shoot straight into David Ospina’s midriff as Poland attempted their first shot on target of the game.
Having survived that scare, Colombia came to life and Quintero’s superb slide-rule pass presented Falcao with a one-on-one situation and he expertly guided the ball past Szczesny with the outside of his right foot to double his side’s lead.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, James’ pass from the left found Cuadrado in space through the middle and he took a touch before applying an assured finish into the bottom-right corner of the net.
Colombia almost added a fourth after a mix-up between Jan Bednarek and Szczesny, but Uribe’s backheel was cleared off the goal line to leave the final score 3-0. – AFP, Bein Sports.
