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England secured top spot in World Cup Group L on Saturday night, defeating Panama 2-0 at a sold-out MetLife Stadium to advance to the round of 32 with seven points from three matches.
Goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, both arriving in a clinical five-minute burst late in the second half, settled an unexpectedly tense contest before 80,663 spectators as Thomas Tuchel's side overcame a stubborn Panamanian rearguard.
England dominated possession from the first whistle, controlling 70 percent of the ball across the match, yet spent an anxious 62 minutes unable to break through.
Panama, already eliminated before kick-off following defeats to Ghana and Croatia, pressed high and hit on the counter with enough frequency to keep the English defence uncomfortable.
Orlando Mosquera made a series of smart saves in the first half, turning away efforts from Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka as both wingers cut inside onto their stronger feet.
The opening period ended goalless, with England recording just 0.49 expected goals and Croatia, in the concurrent group fixture against Ghana, temporarily pushing the Three Lions down to second place.
Saka's outswinging corner in the 62nd minute dropped to Bellingham at the back post, and the Real Madrid midfielder swept the ball into the bottom left corner with his left foot.
The 22-year-old then turned provider five minutes later, collecting a long pass from Rashford before chipping a precise delivery onto the head of Kane, who nodded home from close range.
Kane, at his third World Cup, is now England's leading scorer in the competition's history, moving ahead of Gary Lineker's 10 World Cup goals. Bellingham, at 22 years and 363 days, became the youngest England player on record, since 1966, to both score and assist in a World Cup match.
Despite the scoreline, Panama were not passive. Thomas Christiansen's side produced eight shots in the second half alone, and a moment of late drama arrived when Jose Fajardo appeared to have pulled one back deep in added time, only for the offside flag to correctly cut short any celebrations.
The goal, which would have been ruled out by replays regardless, encapsulated Panama's tournament. They finish without a goal scored in three matches, joining a short list of nations who failed to find the net across an entire World Cup group stage, the last being Honduras and Algeria in 2010.
England were not without concern. Defender Jarell Quansah was withdrawn in the 63rd minute after suffering an ankle knock, adding to an existing problem at right-back with Reece James already sidelined.
Noni Madueke and Morgan Rogers came on among a series of second-half changes, and substitute Jordan Henderson, entering in the 84th minute, became the first England player to appear at seven major tournaments, eclipsing the record he had previously shared with Sol Campbell and Wayne Rooney.
A late effort from Madueke was saved by Mosquera as England looked for a third that never came.
With the group now settled, England will face Senegal in the round of 32, where the Group L winner meets a third-place qualifier from Group I, J, or K.
The match will be the sides' first meeting at a World Cup. Tuchel's squad head into the knockout stage having won two of their three group matches and conceded just twice, against Croatia in their opening fixture.
Panama, meanwhile, depart having lost all five of their World Cup appearances in the competition's history and all three matches at this tournament, finishing bottom of Group L with no points and no goals.
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