It turned out to be… a matter of just a few minutes for England to take the lead. The “Lions” defeated already-eliminated Panama 2-0, showing two different sides of their game. In the first half, Tuchel’s team was predictable, but in the second half they improved and, with two quick-fire goals, broke down Christensen’s team. 

Bellingham was the standout, contributing a goal and an assist. The Real Madrid star opened the scoring in the 62nd minute with a header off a corner kick, and five minutes later set up Kane, who scored a historic goal. He thus became England’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals.

Croatia struggled but ultimately defeated Ghana 2-1, securing second place in Group 12 and a spot in the round of 32. Ghana advanced as the third-place team.

Sušić opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a powerful shot that took a deflection, while Lukassen equalized in the 73rd minute—with the assistant referee initially signaling offside, but justice being served via VAR. In the 83rd minute, Vlačić redeemed Croatia, scoring the goal that put them back in second place.

Highlights

Standings
: England 7 (6-2)
, Croatia 6 (5-5)
, Ghana 4 (2-2)
, Panama 0 (0-4)

Group 12 schedule:

Matchday
1, June 17, 2026
: England vs. Croatia 4-2
(12′, 42′ Kane, 47′ Bellingham, 85′ Rashford – 36′ Batourina, 45’+5′ Musa)

June 18, 2026
Ghana vs. Panama 1-0
(90’+5′ Yerenki)

Matchday
2 June 23, 2026
England vs. Ghana 0–0

June 24, 2026
, 2:00 a.m. Panama vs. Croatia, Toronto Stadium, Toronto

Matchday
3 June 28, 2026
Panama–England 0–2
(62’ Bellingham, 67’ Kane)

Croatia vs. Ghana 2-1
(31′ Sušić, 83′ Vlačić – 73′ Lukassen)

*Photo source: AP