World Cup player ratings: Bellingham and Rashford spark England against Panama

Ed Aarons at New York New Jersey StadiumSat 27 Jun 2026 19.27 EDTLast modified on Sat 27 Jun 2026 20.02 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleEnglandJordan Pickford Solid save to deny José Luis Rodríguez. Still doesn’t inspire confidence when he charges out of goal. 6

Jarell Quansah Early mistake betrayed nerves. Settled down after making a great tackle, doesn’t add much going forward. 5

Ezri Konsa Looks shaky in possession at times. But building his understanding with Guéhi and should keep his spot. 6

Marc Guéhi Typically unflustered. England look much more solid with the Manchester City defender at the back. 7

Nico O’Reilly Defensive shortcomings were exposed again. But always looking to get forward and caused problems. 7

Elliot Anderson Far too isolated on his own in central midfield. Not the performance of a player worth £116m. 5

Jude Bellingham Much more involved from deeper role initially and came up with the crucial goal just when England needed him. Great cross for Kane’s clincher. 8

Morgan Rogers Looked determined to take his chance but found himself on periphery too much. Has to work on understanding with Bellingham. 6

Bukayo Saka Full of energy after returning from injury, although end product was lacking. Will improve as fitness builds. 7

Marcus Rashford England’s brightest spark in attack and will be disappointed not to have scored. Has to start next match. 8

Harry Kane Worryingly anonymous in the first half. Improved after the break and got his record-breaking goal in the end. 7

Substitutes: Noni Madueke (for Saka 61) Little impact after replacing Arsenal teammate for last 30 minutes. 5; Djed Spence (for Quansah 61) Cleared a header off the line on his mandatory appearance. 7; Eberechi Eze (for Bellingham 71) Looked more comfortable than against Ghana. 6; Ollie Watkins (for Kane 85) Almost snaffled a third goal. 7; Jordan Henderson (for Anderson 85) Shored things up on first appearance of tournament. 6

Orlando Mosquera Dealt with almost everything England threw at him, including two excellent saves to keep out Rashford and Kane efforts. 7

Amir Murillo Struggled to contain Rashford initially but grew in confidence. Could have scored twice if he’d brought his shooting boots. 6

Fidel Escobar A rock at the back. The veteran was a commanding presence as he reached a century of international caps. 7

José Córdoba The Norwich defender stood up well to Kane and showed some nifty footwork at times too. 7

Andrés Andrade Appears to enjoy diving into challenges whenever he can. Almost scored a comical own goal. 6

Jorge Gutiérrez Had his hands full with Saka built showed some attacking endeavour when given an opportunity. 6

Cristian Martínez Never stopped running and displayed a few silky touches on the right flank. A clever player. 7

Yoel Bárcenas Ran out of steam after covering nearly every blade of grass. Taken off after England scored second. 6

Carlos Harvey Made some crucial tackles and stuck to his gameplan of giving Anderson no time on the ball. 7

José Luis Rodríguez Outrageous 360 turn took the break away and was always a danger on the counterattack. 8

Tomás Rodríguez Could have scored inside the first 20 seconds and caused England’s defence problems before being replaced at half-time. 7

Substitutes: José Fajardo (for T Rodríguez ht) Got little change out of Guéhi and Konsa. Inches offside for disallowed goal. 5; Ismael Díaz (for Barcenas 72) A lively presence who almost grabbed a consolation goal. 7; Azarías Londoño (for J Rodríguez 72) A powerful runner but couldn’t get any change from Guéhi. Eric Davis (for Gutiérrez 88) Too late to make an impact. 6; Alberto Quintero (for Harvey 88) No effect on outcome. 6