England top World Cup group as Messi scores again for Argentina

England top World Cup group as Messi scores again for Argentina

England secured the top spot in Group L on Saturday, June 28, 2026, defeating Panama 2-0 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey. The victory sets up a round of 32 encounter with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Three Lions struggled against a well-organized Panama side and appeared to be heading toward a scoreless draw, similar to their previous match against Ghana. The deadlock broke in the 62nd minute when Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid poked home a goal from a corner. Five minutes later, Harry Kane of Bayern Munich sealed the win with a powerful header, which served as Kane's 11th World Cup goal, moving him ahead of Gary Lineker.

England manager Thomas Tuchel described the outing as a difficult game and a tough match against a physical opponent. Despite the laboured performance, Tuchel dismissed concerns over how the team played.

"I know as a coach what it takes to win these matches. There is no problem if these matches feel tight, if these matches feel tough, it will help us in the next match,"

Thomas Tuchel, England manager, via euronews.com

Tuchel predicted the squad would improve as they enter the knockout phase, stating, The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.

In other Group L action on Saturday, Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 in Philadelphia with goals from Petar Sučić and Nikola Vlasic. Croatia will face Portugal in Toronto, while Ghana advanced as a third-place team and is scheduled to play Colombia in Kansas City.

The result for Croatia ended the tournament hopes of Scotland, who failed to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. Scotland manager Steve Clarke resigned following the elimination.

Messi sets new World Cup records

Lionel Messi continued his scoring streak as Argentina defeated Jordan 3-1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Entering the match as a second-half substitute in the 60th minute—just three days after his 39th birthday—Messi curled a low free kick around the wall to score.

The strike made Messi the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, surpassing the marks of Jairzinho and Just Fontaine. It was his 19th career World Cup goal and his 72nd career goal from a free kick. Messi currently leads the 2026 tournament with six goals, which is two more than Erling Haaland, Vinícius Júnior, Ousmane Dembélé, and Kylian Mbappé.

Argentina, managed by Lionel Scaloni, topped Group J after winning all three group fixtures. Before Messi entered the game, Giovani Lo Celso scored in the 19th minute with a free kick, and Lautaro Martínez also found the net. Lo Celso became the first Argentine other than Messi to score in this tournament.

"I am very happy for him, for the moment he is having. The truth is that seeing him every day excites, excites and infects a lot. So obviously, seeing him like that for us is very important."

Giovani Lo Celso, Argentina player, via jang.com.pk

The reigning champions will face Cape Verde in the round of 32, as the island nation becomes the smallest country to reach the knockout stages.

Knockout bracket developments

The final group-stage matches on Saturday determined the remaining paths for several nations:

• Group K: Colombia topped the group after a 0-0 draw with Portugal in Miami. The Democratic Republic of the Congo advanced as one of the best third-placed teams following a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in Atlanta, their first-ever World Cup victory.
• Group J: Austria and Algeria played to a 3-3 draw. Sasa Kalajdzic scored an equalizer for Austria in the sixth minute of added time to ensure they advanced to face Spain. Algeria also progressed as a best third-placed team and will play Switzerland.
• Eliminations: The draw between Austria and Algeria confirmed the elimination of Iran, who had previously drawn their final game against Egypt.