England vs Panama and Raheem Sterling started the match despite all the rumours that he would be replaced by Rashford and what was seen by photographers on the training ground. We here were happy with that, even though he didn’t have a great game against Tunisia. Anyway enough about that, England scored five goals in the first half of a World Cup match and Harry Kane scored two of them from the penalty spot. What an outstanding performance it was but despite that Gareth Southgate wasn’t to pleased with the beginning at the end. We agree, England were a little sloppy at the start of the game, just like they were against Tunisia but on both occasions now they’ve got away with it.
No need to be negative though, England scored six goals in a World Cup match and that is a truly outstanding achievement and so is scoring a World Cup hat trick. Only two other England players in Sir Geoff Hurst and Gary Lineker have achieved that, but Kane has now joined them after a back-heel volley in the second-half. Along with two-headed goals from John Stones and an outstanding finish from man-of-match Jesse Lingard, England have now qualified for the next round of the World Cup after just two games for the third time ever. England will take on Belgium this Thursday to decide who’ll top the group.
England 6–1 Panama
Stones Goal 8′, 40′
Kane Goal 22′ (pen.), 45+1′ (pen.), 62′
Lingard Goal 36′
Baloy Goal 78′
Next fixtures for England & Panama:
Thursday June 28th: England v Belgium (Group G) – Kaliningrad, 7pm
Thursday June 28th: Panama v Tunisia (Group G) – Saransk, 7pm
Japan and Senegal both won their opening group game so both knew that if they won this match they were into the last sixteen for definite to potentially play England or Belgium. Senegal had never met an Asia team at a World Cup before and they were facing an unchanged Japan team from their first game, but Senegal had made one change. Nigerian started the better and pinned Japan back from the off, the pressure told too as some sloppy defending and poor goalkeeping allowed Mane to score via a rebound off his legs when the keep opted to punch it.
More and more chances came for both teams but eventually Inui took his time, used a defended as shield and bent the ball perfectly around him and into the corner of the net to level the scores. In the second half Inui could have put his country in front but this time is curling effort hit the bar. That cost his side as not long after, Inui never tracked his man Waque and the right-back came in and smashed his side in front. Then a Japanese moment of history as substitute Honda equalised when he scored in a third straight World Cup to earn his side a point. Both teams will now want Poland and Colombia to draw, to give them more of a chance of the last 16.
Japan 2–2 Senegal
Inui Goal 34′
Honda Goal 78′
Mané Goal 11′
Wagué Goal 71′
Next fixtures for Japan & Senegal:
Thursday June 28th: Japan v Poland (Group H) – Volgograd, 3pm
Thursday June 28th: Senegal v Colombia (Group H) – Samara, 3pm
Poland v Colombia and what a superb football match to watch this was from the moment the game started, as Colombia attacked with so much pace it was frightening. Chances came to the Columbians from the off but the longer the game went on, we wondered if it would come back to haunt them, but it didn’t. As Mina confirmed that when he headed in a delightful chipped cross from James Rodriguez five minutes before half-time to settle his country’s nerves back home.
If Rodriguez’s pass to Mina was good, you should have seen his pass from inside is own half to finish the game off as he put Cuadrado through on goal with fifteen minutes to go to seal the win. In between the first and third goal though, was the moment the whole of Colombia wanted to see. A Radamel Falcao goal and after some superb build up play, Falcao was slid in and he finished with a shot with the outside of his right foot that bent around Wojciech Szczęsny in the Polish goal. Colombia now have to win their next game but Poland are out.
Poland 0–3 Colombia
Mina Goal 40′
Falcao Goal 70′
Ju. Cuadrado Goal 75′
Next fixtures for Poland v Colombia:
Thursday June 28th: Japan v Poland (Group H) – Volgograd, 3pm
Thursday June 28th: Senegal v Colombia (Group H) – Samara, 3pm
