England Avoids Early World Cup Exit with Late Goals Against Panama

For a time on Saturday in New Jersey, England were on the road to a last 32 meeting with Portugal and a potential last 16 clash with Spain, at which point you would have expected their interest in this year’s World Cup to have come to a crashing halt. As it was, two goals in the space of five minutes against Panama averted that particular disaster, and now either the Senegal or the Democratic Republic of Congo are their likely opponents. Croatia and Ghana also progressed from the group, ending Scotland’s slim hopes of making it into the last 32, and soon after Steve Clarke ended his seven years in charge. Portugal’s final game in Group K holds a multitude of possibilities, one of which means that if they beat Colombia in an encounter that starts at 7.30am on Sunday, Hong Kong Time, they end up on the same side of the draw as Argentina. Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarter-finals anyone? Discussion on that topic is for another day, right now, here’s what happened overnight. Keep right on