England have secured their place in the knockout phase of the 2018 World Cup in spectacular fashion, pummelling Panama 6-1 at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
After much speculation and rumour before the match, Raheem Sterling started ahead of Rashford, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek came into the starting lineup for the injured Dele Alli.
Panama asserted their physical influence early, as Jesse Lingard copped anelbow to the head which left him dazed.
From a corner at the nine minute mark of the match, John Stones rose highest to open the scoring, with his header putting England in pole position to qualify for the Round of 16. The goal was England's third of the tournament, and was their third goal scored from a corner.
Panama weren't content to sit back and defend and pushed forward, with Barcenas having a good opportunity at the 16 minute mark but curling his shot just wide of the post.
Panama's momentum was brought to a halt when England were presented another opportunity after the ball was played forward to Jesse Lingard, who was brought down in the penalty area after being sandwiched between Escobar and Torres.
The referee pointed to the spot, and Harry Kane converted with a powerful shot that put his side 2-0 ahead with 22 minutes played.
Things went from bad to worse for Panama a little over ten minutes later, as the under pressure Raheem Sterling showed his class by linking with Jesse Lingard to create a beautiful goal. Lingardgot on the end of a Sterling pass and curled in a stunning goal from the edge of the penalty area, pushing the scoreline out to 3-0.
Then only moments later, a long ball forward from a free kick saw Stones nod home his second goal of the game, a rare brace from the Manchester City centre half.
Then another minute later, England were awarded another penalty, with Kane making no mistake and securing his brace with a well placed penalty.
At half time the scoreline had reached 5-0. The match had become truly ugly.
After the restart England looked to play safely, and managed to nab another in bizarre circumstances. A shot by Ruben Loftus-Cheek deflected off the back of an unsuspecting Harry Kane's heel, and the Tottenham Hotspur talisman had his hat trick.
Panama went on to grab a goal from a set piece with Baloy getting the final touch to make the score 6-1 with 15 minutes to play. While the goal seemed like nothing more than a consolation, it actually had greater implications, as it saw England lose their goal difference advantage over Belgium with both sides now sitting level on goal difference and goals scored.
The upcoming clash between Belgium or England will see the winner finish top of the group, while a draw could see the group winner decided by fair play points of drawing of lots.
The win for England sees the World Cup journeys of Panama and Tunisia come to an end, as both sides are now officially eliminated from the tournament.
