Harry Kane became England's all-time leading World Cup scorer with his 11th goal as the Three Lions beat Panama 2-0 to top Group L – but the victory was overshadowed by yet another right-back injury. Jarell Quansah limped off with a muscle problem, placing his involvement in the rest of the tournament in serious doubt and deepening what the Mirror described as a 'major problem' in that position.
Kane's second-half header from Jude Bellingham's cross surpassed Gary Lineker's record of 10 World Cup goals, a feat that prompted Lineker to call the Bayern Munich striker 'the greatest English striker we've ever had'. Kane, who also scored in England's opening win against Croatia, now has goals at three different World Cups – Russia, Qatar and North America – joining David Beckham as the only England men's players to achieve that.
“Harry Kane becomes England's all-time World Cup scorer as Jude Bellingham stars in 2-0 win over Panama.”
'It is a proud one for sure,' Kane told BBC Sport. '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. I never take these moments for granted.'
The match itself started slowly, with Thomas Tuchel's side struggling to settle in a 'turgid' first half. But after the break, Bellingham broke the deadlock on 62 minutes with a hooked finish from a corner, then turned provider for Kane's historic header. The Real Madrid midfielder played only 70 minutes but was named man of the match.
England now head to Atlanta for a round-of-32 tie on Wednesday against either Senegal or DR Congo. But the loss of Quansah – the latest casualty in a cursed right-back slot – raises fresh questions about their defensive depth. Kane, meanwhile, sits 12th on the all-time World Cup scorers list, one behind Brazil's Pelé, and seven adrift of Lionel Messi's record 18 goals.