Harry Kane Makes History. Tuchel Cautions Against Complacency: "If We Get Carried Away, It Will Punish Us"

England struggled for a long time to break down Panama's compact defense at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. After a goalless first half, Jude Bellingham "rescued" them in the 62nd minute, and five minutes later, he crossed to Harry Kane, who headed home to seal the victory. "We did what we needed to do. Against a tough opponent, it was exactly as we expected. We were the only team to create so many chances against Panama. Everyone did what was required, and Jude played a huge role in that," said

Tuchel to ITV. "First mission accomplished. We came here to tackle this in stages, and now we've achieved our first goal: progressing from the group and winning it. We knew the level we wanted to reach, and we showed that in the second half. We need to improve in every game, and it's up to us to make that happen," added Bellingham, who was named Man of the Match.

Kane scored his 11th World Cup goal, surpassing Gary Lineker's national record. "Of course, I'm proud of that. I hope it wasn't my last one in this tournament," stated the Bayern Munich striker. He now has three goals in the tournament across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and a total of 82 goals for the national team, holding the record as the "Three Lions'" all-time leading scorer.

"Everyone is delighted for Harry because he's a fantastic teammate; everyone likes and respects him. It's great that he had the chance to break this record at the World Cup. He's in amazing mental and physical condition, he's hungry for success, he's not complacent, which shows his character and determination. That's why we're happy to have him as our captain," Tuchel added, according to AFP.

 England will face DR Congo in the Round of 16, with the match in Atlanta scheduled for Wednesday at 6:00 PM CEST. The German coach will have to contend with an unfavorable situation on the right side of defense, as Reece James's replacement, Jarell Quansah, is also dealing with injury issues. Should they advance, the "Three Lions" will meet the winner of the Mexico-Ecuador match at the legendary Azteca Stadium. "It's possible, but there's still one game before that, and we can only focus on one. If we get carried away and start talking about a potential quarter-final, it will punish us," declared Tuchel.

Panama knew before the match that they had no chance of advancing, but according to the 52-year-old coach, they showed themselves in a "very decent" light at the World Cup. "Maybe we lacked a goal, but we were competitive. I think it also helped that most of us play in top leagues. Week after week, we compete at the highest level, in packed stadiums, and I think that really helped us to do what the coach asked of us, we remained calm in such an environment," assessed winger Jose Luis Rodriguez on the Central American country's performance at the championship.

After an initial loss to England (2-4) and victories over Panama (1-0) and Ghana, Croatia showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in major tournaments. "I would like to congratulate the players on advancing to the knockout stage. It was a tough match, but I think Croatia played an excellent tactical game and secured a good position," said coach Zlatko Dalić, who led the team to the World Cup final in Russia and a third-place finish at the previous tournament in Qatar. The 59-year-old manager said that after the first matches, there were many "suspicions" about the quality of his team, and he called some comments "pathetic":

"This national team deserves more. Whether the boys win or lose, they should be adored for everything they have done for the people and for our country. This should be appreciated and not dismissed when they lose."

The winning goal against Ghana came in the 83rd minute from a Nikola Vlašić header, assisted by Luka Modrić from a corner kick. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner became the oldest player at 40 years old to provide an assist at the World Cup since data collection began in 1966. "Luka was truly fantastic. That's his character and energy. He knows this is his last World Cup and he's trying his best. I hope he stays healthy and remains with us for as long as possible," added Dalić. Croatia will face Portugal in Toronto on Friday at 1:00 AM CEST.

Despite the loss, Ghana also advanced to the knockout stage and will face Colombia in Kansas City on Saturday at 3:30 AM CEST. They collected four points in the group, having previously drawn 0-0 with England and beaten Panama 1-0. "Either we win or we learn, and today we learned. We are learning to be better prepared for the World Cup. The real World Cup starts in the next game. The group stage is a warm-up," said coach Carlos Queiroz to the official website of the Ghana Football Association.