Tuchel insists England ‘will step up’ for knockout rounds

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Thomas Tuchel insists England “will step up” for the knockout stage of the World Cup after a battling win over Panama.

England defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday, as Jude Bellingham scored the opener before assisting Harry Kane in a five-minute spell after the hour mark.

Bellingham (22y 363d) became the youngest England player on record (since 1966) to both score and assist in a World Cup match and the fourth overall for the Three Lions.

England, meanwhile, finished top of their group in consecutive World Cup appearances for the first time, while seven points is their joint-most in a group stage (also in 2006 and 2022).

The Three Lions were not at their best in New York, with their 17 shots worth just 1.4 expected goals (xG), though Tuchel believes his side will improve against better opponents.

“We did what was needed,” Tuchel told ITV Sport.

“It was what we expected: a tough match against a physical opponent. They are a difficult team to score against and we were the only team to create this amount of chances and score twice.

“The tournament starts again now in the knockouts. Now we collect our strengths and energy and build on what we have – we have the team spirit, fighting and belief. We will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.

“Three days, then the next match in four days. It’s not a problem, we love that and are good at that.”

11 – Harry Kane has become England’s all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with 11 goals, overtaking Gary Lineker (10).

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 27, 2026

Kane’s goal saw him become England’s all-time leading goalscorer at the World Cup with 11 goals, overtaking Gary Lineker (10).

Kane has also scored four goals against Panama at the World Cup, the most by any England player against a single opponent in the competition.

“It is a proud one for sure. I spoke before the tournament about the World Cup being the biggest competition we play as professional footballers, so to get to 11 goals is a proud feeling,” Kane told BBC Sport.

“It is always hard to take in. I just want to enjoy this moment with the team, enjoy being top of the table. I never take these moments for granted. Another good milestone to hit and I hope it is not the last one in this tournament.”

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