England was inspired by a classy second-half display from Jude Bellingham as it wrapped up first place in Group L with its 2–0 victory over Panama. After a drab goalless draw with Ghana on matchday two, England endured further frustration at the hands of a low block during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Just two shots on target and an expected goals (xG) total of 0.49 was hardly the response Thomas Tuchel craved following disappointment on Tuesday. However, the Three Lions came alive after the restart courtesy of Bellingham‘s brilliance, the Real Madrid midfielder opening the scoring from a corner, before assisting Harry Kane to create an unassailable lead just five minutes later.England’s quickfire double allowed it to saunter to the fulltime whistle and clinch top spot, setting up an intriguing round of 32 tie with one of the World Cup’s third-placed qualifiers. Match MomentumEngland Player Ratings vs. Panama (4-2-3-1)*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: Jordan Pickford—8.0: Erratic when sweeping up Panama’s long balls in behind. Pickford endured similar problems against Ghana, which will undoubtedly concern Tuchel. RB: Jarell Quansah—7.3: Right back is a position not overly familiar to Quansah, which was swiftly evident in East Rutherford. Quansah was awkward in each interaction before being withdrawn due to injury shortly after the hour mark. CB: Ezri Konsa—7.4: Panama posed some threat on the break as England’s defense continues to look unsteady, but Konsa ultimately came through unscathed in the end. CB: Marc Guéhi—7.8: Never worked too intensely by Panama’s forwards, ensuring he was able to coast through in second gear. LB: Nico O’Reilly—7.9: O’Reilly went untested for the most part and was efficient in possession, yet failed to make his now trademark attacking runs to the far post. CM: Elliot Anderson—8.0: The Manchester City-bound midfielder orchestrated things from deep, feeding the more creative players in red jerseys at every opportunity. A classy showing without his usual midfielder partner Declan Rice. CM: Jude Bellingham—9.0: Set the match alight with an exceptional performance. Head and shoulders above his compatriots. RW: Bukayo Saka—7.5: Full of vim on his return to the starting lineup, but understandably lacked a touch of finesse. There will be more to come as England progress. AM: Morgan Rogers—7.5: Frustratingly quiet in the No. 10 role, failing to create much of note for his teammates and lacking the spark which makes him such an asset for Aston Villa. LW: Marcus Rashford—7.4: Determined to take full advantage of his promotion to the XI after two anonymous Anthony Gordon displays. A livewire, that’s for sure, despite often lacking conviction in his final shot or pass. ST: Harry Kane—7.8: Kane cut a frustrated figure before the break after being frequently smothered by white shirts, but his persistence paid dividends when he headed his third goal of the tournament beyond Orlando Mosquera. SUB: Djed Spence (63’ for Quansah)—6.3: More assured than Quansah, but was seldom put to the test defensively. SUB: Noni Madueke (63’ for Saka)—6.8: Threatening during his cameo.SUB: Eberechi Eze (71’ for Bellingham)—6.0: Arrived on the field when the job had already been completed. SUB: Ollie Watkins (84’ for Kane)—N/ASUB: Jordan Henderson (84’ for Anderson)—N/ASubs not used: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Dan Burn, Trevoh Chalobah, John Stones, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Anthony Gordon, Ivan Toney.Match StatsWhat the Ratings Tell UsEngland’s performance was not littered with epic individual displays, but Kane once again delivered the goods in the penalty area. After failing to impact the Ghana game whatsoever, the Bayern Munich striker exhibited his ruthless touch when delivered the proper service. Whether Elliot Anderson merits the $153 million fee Man City will soon splash on him is up for debate, but his flawless showings for England underscore his position as one of soccer’s most competent all-rounders in the midfield. An impressive passing range is excellently balanced by his ferocity out of possession. England has issues at right back. With Tino Livramento injured before the tournament began and Reece James the latest casualty in the role, Tuchel turned to Quansah on Saturday. Not only did the Bayer Leverkusen defender struggle with his positioning and in one-v-one duels, he also sustained an injury which exacerbates a growing dilemma for Tuchel. One Thing We Can’t IgnoreJude Bellingham forced through England’s breakthrough. | ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty ImagesCometh the hour, cometh Jude Bellingham.After an insipid first-half display in East Rutherford which mirrored the tepid nature of England’s performance five days ago against Ghana, Bellingham took it upon himself to be the catalyst of a vastly improved showing after the restart.The 22-year-old showed his intention from the first whistle, galloping around the field with the vigor and ferocity of a man sickened by the timidity of England’s attacking play against Ghana. Operating in a slightly deeper role suited Bellingham, allowing him far more control over proceedings and, crucially, touches of the ball.Flashes were shown during the first half, but it was the halftime break that proved the turning point for Bellingham and his England teammates. A man hell-bent on being his nation’s talisman, he delivered a determined finish from a corner and a delicate cross for Kane to completely change a hard-fought battle. That’s two more vital contributions added to the fine strike produced against Croatia on matchday one.Bellingham insisted he wasn’t worthy of the Player of the Match award bestowed upon him after the Ghana stalemate. Having scored, assisted and created two big chances on Saturday, he was certainly worthy of the accolade against Panama.Match SummaryAfter a sluggish opening from England, it was much sharper after the break. All four of the big chances it created came in the second period, as well as two-thirds of its xG total. Territorial dominance eventually paid off for England, who boasted 68% of the possession as an unambitious Panama sunk deeper and deeper into its own half. Kane scored his 11th goal at World Cups with his well-taken header, making him England’s top goalscorer in the competition ahead of Gary Lineker (10).READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow