England Top Group as Bellingham Inspires Victory; Scotland Crash Out of World Cup

LONDON: England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage as Group L winners after defeating Panama 2-0, while Scotland’s World Cup campaign came to a disappointing end following confirmation of their elimination.

England secured top spot in the group with a composed second-half performance in which Jude Bellingham starred by opening the scoring before setting up captain Harry Kane for the second goal. Kane’s strike was his 11th in FIFA World Cup history, making him England’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, surpassing Gary Lineker’s previous record of 10 goals.

The victory ensured England finished first in Group L and earned a Round of 32 clash against DR Congo, who defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 to secure their place in the knockout rounds.

Speaking after the match, Kane described the victory as another “solid performance” and praised Bellingham’s outstanding contribution, while expressing pride in achieving the historic scoring milestone.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s hopes of progressing as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams were dashed after Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1. The result confirmed Scotland’s exit from the competition following a campaign in which they earned just one victory against Haiti but suffered defeats to Morocco and Brazil.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke subsequently announced his resignation after seven years in charge. In a farewell message, he thanked his players and supporters, describing his tenure as an honour despite the disappointment of the World Cup exit. The Scottish Football Association acknowledged Clarke’s contribution in guiding Scotland back to major international tournaments during his tenure.

Brazil had earlier secured top spot in Group C with a convincing 3-0 victory over Scotland, with Vinicius Junior scoring twice to seal the South American side’s place in the knockout stage.

With the group stage nearing completion, England now shift their focus to the knockout rounds, while Scotland return home after falling short of extending their first World Cup campaign in nearly three decades.