Just Four Things: England Vs. Panama
Credits: Premier League Twitter
England Shows How It’s Done
Panama were to be the perceived whipping boys in this edition of the World Cup having qualified via dramatic circumstances. England on the other hand has a history of unconvincing performances against teams that they are touted to beat by a good margin (Ex: Costa Rica in 2014 and Algeria in 2010). They astonishingly destroyed the Central-American minnows in such brutal fashion. This was the kind of scoreline England fans want when they face a team like this.
Although it is noted that Panama completely made terrible mistakes that lead to a chunk of the goals conceded. But England did so well to take those chances. Even Harry Kane’s brace of penalties were excellently taken. Kane though found himself fortunate he completed his hat-trick by unknowingly deflecting Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s effort in. As soon as that went in, Kane was taken off for a well-deserved rest on the hour mark. Kieran Trippier has become more reliable delivering set-pieces, Jesse Lingard caused headaches that forced Panama to concede the first penalty and smashing a shot flying into the corner. John Stones himself scored a brace by being in the right place and the right time.
But Gareth Southgate wants more from his team. Squawka News twitted Southgate’s post-match comments saying "I didn't particularly like the performance if I'm honest. I didn't like the start and I didn't like the goal at the end. I'm being hypercritical,” He might have good point because…
Enjoy It While They Can
They got through the two potential banana slips. Now England’s next match and beyond in the knockout stages will truly test their credentials on how far will they go. If England wants to bring football home, they have to be immense against the bigger teams. They can start doing that when they will face Belgium to decide who will top Group G.
Belgium themselves went full scoring mode after beating Tunisia 5-2. England’s defensive trio Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and John Stones has faced some of these Belgian players before in the Premier League. It’s a whole different story since these players are playing under a different set-up compared to how they play in the Premier League. Despite both teams advancing to the last 16, it’s still a match not to be missed
Panama’s Weakness Exposed Further
There really wasn’t much expected about Panama going into this match like they did against Belgium. But the amount of goals they conceded in short period of time was still kind of surprising. Five out of six goals England scored came in the first half. Should they qualify again to this tournament somehow, hopefully they have gained valuable experience from their two matches.
Firstly, they were looking to guard every England player closely. Problem was they were too aggressive in doing so. If Stones had not scored his first header, the referee would mot likely blew the whistle for a penalty. At least a few England players were wrestled to the ground when Trippier took the corner. This approach came back to bite them when they gave away the second penalty after Kane was hauled down with shirt pulled and all. Too aggressive and they needed to be calm when things don’t go their way.
Panama also looked blunt in attack, so imagine if Anibal Godoy had composed himself in the opening few minutes when he had so much space on the left. Still, at least Panama got a consolation thanks to Felipe Baloy’s slide to guide Ricardo Avila’s free-kick. Other than those two chances, there was nothing much to write about their attacking abilities.
Sadly, it’s an early goodbye for Panama in their first World Cup appearance ever. But the memories for these players and every Panama citizen will forever remain in their minds and hearts.
This Defeat Makes USA Humiliation Worse
Meanwhile in the USA, every football pundit and fan watching this have to wonder how have they not qualified and yet Panama did. Panama fumbled terribly against this match and the USA felt they would’ve done much better had they been on the plane to Russia.
Here’s the thing: You were in pole position in a tight final CONCACAF qualifying round to advance to the World Cup. You only had a match against last-placed Trinidad & Tobago while Panama had to deal a tough Costa Rica team. Two points ahead of both Panama and Honduras. All you needed was a draw. If you lose to that last-placed team that resulted in you not qualifying, you deserve it. To quote Football Tribe editor, Keeshaanan Sundaresan on his Twitter:
“Panama not showing up at the WC doesn't mean they didn't show up during qualifiers. They did just that and earned this spot, regardless of how big the score margin tonight becomes. Remember, they earned it. USA didn't. It's as simple as that,”
Panama definitely showed where it mattered the most and that’s how they got to this tournament.
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