Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another for Harry Kane as England beat Panama 2-0 to top Group L at the 2026 World Cup, but the numbers behind their link-up reveal a partnership that has only recently clicked into gear. For much of Thomas Tuchel's reign, England's attack has been stodgy in open play, relying heavily on Kane while others struggled to contribute. Bellingham's performance against Panama showed how both sides of that equation can be solved — and why the Real Madrid midfielder is now being called England's answer to Kylian Mbappé or Lionel Messi.
England's 2-0 victory over Panama secured their place in the last 32 as group winners, with goals from Bellingham (a header from Bukayo Saka's corner) and Kane (a penalty after Bellingham's through ball). The win meant Tuchel's side avoided an early knockout clash and set up a meeting with DR Congo. But the match was also a showcase for a developing understanding between England's two most important players.
“Explaining how Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane's link-up has unlocked England's attack at the World Cup.”
Under Tuchel, Kane has scored 13 goals in 17 matches — no other England player has more than three. Yet chances for Kane in open play have been scarce. In the opening group game against Croatia, Kane scored a penalty and a header from a corner; against Ghana, he blazed over from a rebound. According to Opta data, before the Panama match Bellingham had created only three chances for Kane in their 1,154 minutes of shared pitch time at major tournaments. The only goal they had combined for in an international match prior to this World Cup came in a friendly win at Hampden Park in 2023.
Against Panama, that link-up finally flourished. England had generated only 0.54 expected goals in the opening 56 minutes before Bellingham played a through ball that gave Kane his first Opta-defined big chance of the tournament. Within 10 minutes, Bellingham had won a corner, scored from it and then assisted Kane for the second goal. Opta's expected assists metric — which measures the likelihood a pass becomes a goal assist — rated Bellingham's passes at 0.57, the highest by any England player in a group game. Only Noni Madueke (0.66) had a higher total across all three group matches.
Why does this matter for UK readers? England have long relied on Kane's goals, but at major tournaments they need more than one source of threat. Bellingham's ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck — like his overhead kick against Slovakia at Euro 2024, or his opening goal against Iran at the 2022 World Cup — makes him the kind of superstar who elevates a team. As one analyst put it, every great side needs its Mbappé or Messi; Bellingham is becoming that for England. Tuchel has said Bellingham is in a “sweet spot” of form and that he “buys fully into all the things we demand as a team.” The challenge now is to keep that partnership firing in the knockout rounds.
Q: How many goals has Harry Kane scored under Thomas Tuchel? Kane has scored 13 goals in 17 matches under Tuchel, with no other England player contributing more than three.
Q: What was Jude Bellingham's expected assists against Panama? Opta measured Bellingham's expected assists at 0.57, the highest by any England player in a group game at the World Cup.
Q: What did Thomas Tuchel say about Jude Bellingham before the World Cup? Tuchel said Bellingham was in a “sweet spot” of form and that he has been very positive from the first day in camp.
What happens next: England face DR Congo in the last 32. Tuchel will hope the Bellingham-Kane partnership can continue to unlock defences, while other players — such as Morgan Rogers, who played as a No 10 against Panama — will need to step up. England have qualified as group winners, but the real tests lie ahead.