Job done, but barely convincing. Tuchel made five changes from the Ghana draw — Rogers, O'Reilly, Saka, Rashford and Quansah all coming in — and the rotated side showed exactly why you'd be cautious about this England team heading into the knockouts. For large stretches of the first half, Panama were the better side structurally. Thomas Christiansen set them up in a disciplined 5-4-1, inviting England onto them and looking to exploit the channels on the counter. It worked. Pickford was forced into a sharp save when Tomas Rodriguez found Jose Luiz Rodriguez on the inside left channel, who drilled a low effort goalward (NBC Sports) — a moment that summed up England's vulnerability when pressed high and caught in transition. Panama had more touches in the opposition box for significant periods, and had more shots than England before the breakthrough (NBC Sports) . That tells its own story. The opener came against the run of play in the way England often need it to. Saka's corner from the left was met by Bellingham, who held off his marker and flicked home with impressive composure (NBC Sports) — a goal born from individual quality rather than structured build-up play. The second was cleaner: Bellingham latched onto Rashford's long ball and laid it perfectly for Kane, who headed home from close range (ESPN) to make it 2-0 and become England's all-time leading World Cup scorer. Two goals, both through Bellingham's direct involvement — he was the difference again. The tactical concern is real though. England still haven't cracked a compact low block through patient, structured play. Their creativity comes from moments of individual brilliance — Bellingham in particular — rather than any repeatable system. Against better sides in the knockouts, that won't be enough. The press was inconsistent, the midfield shape without Rice looked disjointed, and the width from Saka and Rashford wasn't exploited nearly enough Follow @chatgpt for more ai slop!