England failed to break down Panama in the first-half with the Three Lions reduced to pop shots and half-chances.23:14, 27 Jun 2026Updated 23:26, 27 Jun 2026Roy Keane criticised England's first-half display against Panama likening it to Scotland's dismal play. The Three Lions struggled to break down the FIFA-ranked 34th team in the world, going in at half-time goalless.‌Manchester United and former Barcelona forward Marcus Rashford was the bright spark for Thomas Tuchel's side but Saturday's showing threatened to air similarities to the drab stalemate with Ghana on Tuesday. England toiled against the Black Stars and found themselves wanting as the over-reliance on Harry Kane was laid bare.‌Rashford took the mantle as he posed the main danger with the Three Lions skipper isolated against the stubborn Central Americans. While England got a response against Croatia in their group opener during a half-time rocket, Keane poked fun at Tuchel's side and likened them to the Tartan Army, who toiled in their final two matches against Morocco and Brazil to leave them on the brink of elimination.‌Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!"They are certainly lacking that intensity and sometimes, particularly in this game, when you are playing a team with a lot less quality you are going to get dragged down to their level and that is what England kind of seem to have done," Keane said."They're not showing their quality, their top players have not turned up and the key for any team is your end product and they look well short at the moment.‌"You think of what we saw France do, their quality, wide players producing. "The players who have the quality are not showing it, a real lack of quality."With Croatia leading in the other group game against Ghana, England found themselves behind in the Group L standings in second, a point clear of the Black Stars.‌Should England finish second in the group, it would mean they face a tricky test in the Round of 32 and missing out on the chance to play Senegal or DR Congo. Instead, a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal would be a likely showdown in Toronto on July 3.England came out stronger in the second-half as they looked to suffocate Panama with their relentless attacks and pressure. Kane found a bit more freedom and proved to be more dangerous as a result.Shortly before the hour mark, Bellingham threaded the England captain through on goal but the Bayern star could only sting the palms of Orlando Mosquera. After the hour mark, Jude Bellingham made it 1-0 to restore their place at the top of the table and five minutes later, Kane made it two.‌Speaking during the half-time interval, England assistant Anthony Barry said: "We just concentrate on our own game, another example there are no easy games at the World Cup."Our guys wanted to start the game fast, the stadium was amazing and felt like a home game. With all of this energy it almost skewed our risk management - we had too many ball losses and that opened up to counter attacks against a dangerous team."From there we got more control and started to use our attacking talent, but talent isn't enough and we need synchroicity and rhythm and routines.Article continues below"We will go for verticality and speed on the last line. We have to take care of counter attacks."