England player ratings: Jude Bellingham shines but Jarell Quansah struggles before injury in 2026 FIFA World Cup win over Panama

Thomas Tuchel made five changes to his England side with Jarell Quansah, Nico O’Reilly, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford all coming into the starting XI.

Rashford got off to a strong start in particular and went closest in the early stages when testing Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera from distance.

After the hydration break, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford then made a strong save to deny Jose Luis Rodriguez from a tight angle, with Panama frustrating the Three Lions.

Rashford then narrowly headed over before sending a free-kick wide just before half-time.

After the break, England increased the tempo and it was superstar Bellingham who broke the deadlock just after the hour-mark when meeting Saka’s corner.

Bellingham then assisted for Harry Kane as the striker scored his 11th goal at a World Cup, surpassing Gary Lineker for the all-time England record.

Jordan Pickford – 7 – Busier than he would have liked to be and did well to deny Rodriguez in the first half. Sign of a good goalkeeper to stay alert.

Jarell Quansah – 4 – A big call at right-back following Reece James’ injury, Quansah was caught out for Panama’s big first-half chance before being saved by Pickford. He then went off injured in the second half to add to England’s right-back concerns.

Marc Guehi – 6 – Mopped up well at the back when Panama looked to counter, and looks to be England’s best centre-back despite the surprise omission in the opening game against Croatia.

Ezri Konsa – 5 – Made a nervy start when gifting Panama an early opportunity and relied on Guehi to spare his blushes. This was not a seamless night for the pair, and Tuchel has a big centre-back call to make come the round of 32.

Nico O’Reilly – 6 – Back in the XI replacing Djed Spence, O’Reilly was caught out of position in the first half as Panama continued to threaten on the break. Was relatively quiet going forward.

Elliot Anderson – 7 – Without Rice for company in the double pivot, Anderson was busy defensively – as if playing two roles – but also impressed going forward.

Jude Bellingham – 9 – England’s star player by a distance. In a deeper role replacing Rice, who is carrying a hamstring injury, Bellingham was the orchestrator for England and got the goal his performance deserved. The assist for Kane was then perfect before Tuchel brought him off, preserving his best player for the knockouts.

Morgan Rogers – 6 – A big call to push Bellingham back but linked up well with both the Real Madrid midfielder and Saka. Outshone by Bellingham though and it will be interesting to see if Tuchel starts both in the knockout stages.

Bukayo Saka – 6 – Replaced Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke in the starting XI and saw plenty of the ball early on. Had a shot blocked before the first hydration break and just before going off he got the assist for Bellingham’s goal. He’ll have better days at this World Cup, he will hope, and clearly isn’t ready for 90 minutes just yet.

Harry Kane – 6 – That’s what all world-class strikers do… Starved of service early on despite Saka and Rashford seeing plenty of the ball, Kane then pounced when it mattered in the second, doubling England’s lead and settling nerves. A quiet game but still a goal.

Marcus Rashford – 6 – In for Anthony Gordon, Rashford got off to a bright start and tested Orlando Mosquera early on. It was the directness England missed against Ghana and he was comfortably their biggest threat in an otherwise poor first half. He then started the second with a frustrating dribble that took England nowhere in a promising position, found the side netting, and played a pass behind Bellingham, making for a match of two halves. A 7 for his first half, a 5 for his second half, equals a 6.

Noni Madueke – 6 – Showed glimpses but may struggle to get that starting spot back off Saka.

Djed Spence – 6 – England’s right-back for the knockouts? A calm enough cameo here, he’ll be needed more in the next game no doubt.

Eberechi Eze – 6 – A sign of Bellingham’s importance that he came off after England went 2-0 up.

Jordan Henderson – n/a – Off the bench late to make an appearance at his fourth World Cup.

Ollie Watkins – n/a – Came on late for Kane, with just 10 minutes to go.