Five first-half goals saw a dominant England outfit cruise to a 6-1 victory against Panama to advance to the last-16 of the 2018 World Cup.

Harry Kane and John Stones both scored twice before the interval, the former converting a pair of penalties as England scored five before the break against their beleaguered opponents.

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However, Jesse Lingard registered the pick of England’s first-half strikes, bending a shot home with his right foot after being teed up Raheem Sterling, who – despite media conjecture in the week – kept his place in the starting XI.

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Kane enjoyed a slice of good fortune to secure his treble, inadvertently deflecting Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s drive beyond goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, for his fifth of the tournament, moving him clear of Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku in the battle for the Golden Boot.

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Substitute Felipe Baloy created history with Panama’s first goal in the finals, though England’s emphatic win sees them join Belgium – who they face on Thursday in Kaliningrad on Thursday – in qualifying from the group.

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Photo: Getty Images