{"id":2167,"date":"2018-06-24T10:19:02","date_gmt":"2018-06-24T15:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=2167"},"modified":"2018-06-25T09:45:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T14:45:16","slug":"kane-scores-hat-tricks-as-england-put-six-past-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=2167","title":{"rendered":"Kane Scores Hat Trick As England Put Six Past Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Harry Kane’s hat-trick inspired England to their biggest ever World Cup win as Gareth Southgate’s men sealed progress to the last 16 with a 6-1 demolition of Panama that puts their rivals on notice.<\/p>\n

Things finally appear to be looking up for an England side who were humiliated by Iceland at Euro 2016 and eliminated with a game to spare at the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n

They secured progress to the knockout phase with a thrilling World Cup win as Kane’s hat-trick complemented John Stones’ brace and a Jesse Lingard stunner against shambolic Panama.<\/p>\n

Substitute Felipe Baloy netted the Central Americans’ first ever goal at the finals but it could not take the gloss off a Three Lions win which was as comprehensive as it was impressive, setting up an intriguing shoot-out with Belgium for top spot on Thursday – a match Roberto Martinez’s men will surely enter with increased trepidation.<\/p>\n

After displaying their character to seal a last-gasp win against Tunisia, England kept a cool head to deal with Panama’s rough-house tactics in sweltering Nizhny Novgorod, emphatically adding the clinical edge Southgate had called for after Monday’s game.<\/p>\n

Stones headed home his first two international goals in an opening period which saw Kane smash home two spot-kicks and Lingard curl home from the edge of the penalty area.<\/p>\n

England made light work of a Panama side focused on unsettling rather than outplaying them, with captain Kane becoming his country’s third player to score a World Cup finals hat-trick when the ball went in off him early in the second half.<\/p>\n

Baloy made history late on but it did not take the edge off what’s just the third time the Three Lions had won their opening two World Cup games.<\/p>\n

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