World Cup LIVE: England reclaim top spot of Group L with lead over Panama

Updated
Cristiano Ronaldo warming up ahead of Portugal's game against Colombia.
Cristiano Ronaldo warming up ahead of Portugal's game against Colombia.Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck

It is the final day of the World Cup group stages before the serious business starts tomorrow evening, but there is still plenty to be decided on a fascinating day 17.

Today's Matches:

Croatia 2-1 Ghana (FT)

Panama 0-2 England (FT)

Group L: England, Croatia and Ghana advance to Round of 32.

Colombia vs Portugal - 01:30 CET

D.R. Congo vs Uzbekistan - 01:30 CET

Algeria vs Austria - 04:00 CET

Jordan vs Argentina - 04:00 CET

Key updates:

23:10 CET: Match reports from the Group L games are coming through now:

England top Panama to win Group L as Canaleros exit tournament without scoring

23:05 CET: Our match reports for Croatia-Ghana and Panama-England are only a few minutes, but before then we can now take a look at the lineups for the final two matches from Group K.

Ruben Neves is in for Joao Neves. Colombia have brought in Jhon Cordoba, Jhon Arias and Deiver Machado for Luis Suarez, Daniel Munoz and Johan Mojica.

Colombia v Portugal
Colombia v PortugalFlashscore
DR Congo v Uzbekistan
DR Congo v UzbekistanFlashscore

23:00 CET - Full-time in both games! England book themselves a meeting with a third-placed team, whilst Croatia will play against the runners-up of Group K, which will be decided in the next series of matches. 

Ghana will play the winning team of Group K in Kansas City.

22:55 CET - England finish top of the group with their 2-0 win over Panama. Their supporters probably would have wanted to see more during that performance, especially during a wasteful first half.

Ghana will advance as a third-placed team even if they cannot find an equaliser against Croatia.

22:50 CET - Here are the live standings as the games approach stoppage time - seven minutes for Croatia-Ghana, six minutes for Panama-England.

Group L Live Standings
Group L Live StandingsFlashscore / Reuters

22:45 CET - Croatia score and move back to second place! Nikola Vlasic heads the ball into the corner... from a corner.

Nikola Vlasic Goal
Nikola Vlasic GoalOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

22:35 CET - Ghana were celebrating an equaliser against Croatia, but it is currently under review for a potential offside or a push. It's a very lengthy review - we can't help but wonder if there's a technological issue.

Ghana move above Croatia with an equaliser! Very poor set piece defence from Croatia as a free kick curled into the box is nudged home by Derrick Luckassen. Sibo started the set piece in an offside position but it did not have an impact on play. Luckassen scores on his competitive debut for Ghana.

The Ghanaian defender has scored the 200th goal at this World Cup.

Derrick Luckassen Goal
Derrick Luckassen GoalOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

22:30 CET - Kane's fourth career goal against Panama boosts their goal difference and it'll be a much more enjoyable hydration break

Panama v England
Panama v EnglandOpta by StatsPerform
Croatia v Ghana
Croatia v GhanaOpta by StatsPerform
Group L Live Standings
Group L Live StandingsOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

22:25 CET - The floodgates may have burst open now following that Bellingham breakthrough. England move 2-0 up as Kane nods home a cross from Bellingham. 

Harry Kane Goal
Harry Kane GoalOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

22:20 CET - England are back on top of Group L through Jude Bellingham!

Despite being marked with a defenders arms wrapped around his body, Bellingham was able to toe-poke a corner kick into the side of the net.

Jude Bellingham Goal
Jude Bellingham GoalOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

22:05 CET - The second half is underway in both matches and we are ready for some more twists and turns!

Half-time changes were as follows:

Panama - Tomas Rodriguez is replaced by Jose Fajardo Nelson

Ghana - Kojo Peprah and Issahaku Fatawu replaced Elisha Owusu and Jonas Adjetey.

23:50 CET - Croatia head into half-time at the top of the standings and on track to meet a third-placed team from Group I/J/K.

Panama v England
Panama v EnglandOpta by StatsPerform
Panama v England
Panama v EnglandOpta by StatsPerform
Croatia v Ghana
Croatia v GhanaOpta by StatsPerform
Croatia v Ghana
Croatia v GhanaOpta by StatsPerform

23:45 CET - We've seen a couple of shots of some concerned England fans getting impatient with this scoreline. Their 72% possession has been converted into only 0.45 expected goals, and most importantly, no material goals. Trust the process, boys.

Both games are into stoppage time, three minutes each.

23:40 CET - Here are the latest live standings with England bumped down to second. 

Group L Live Standings
Group L Live StandingsFlashscore / Reuters

23:33 CET - Petar Sucic fires Croatia to the top of the standings! It was a 'skimmer' from outside the box that squeezed between the legs of Luckassen and to the right of the goalkeeper Asare.

Petar Sucic Goal
Petar Sucic GoalOpta by StatsPerform / Image via Reuters

23:25 CET - No goals yet today in Group L as the matches head into their hydration breaks. It has been all Croatia and England so far.

The England and Panama players certainly don't need their hydration break - they've probably all swallowed enough rainwater as it is!

Croatia v Ghana Momentum
Croatia v Ghana MomentumOpta by StatsPerform
Panama v England Momentum
Panama v England MomentumOpta by StatsPerform

23:20 CET - Nikola Vlasic struck the post as Croatia created their first scoring opportunity of the game, whilst England have had three shots on target with their 75% possession.

Those four England players we were thinking of below? Jarell Quansah (Leverkusen), Hey Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona) and of course Harry Kane (Bayern Munich).

23:10 CET - This is the first England World Cup XI to have four players who are committed to clubs outside of England. Can you name all four? We'll drop the answers shortly - or you can use the Lineups tab on the Flashscore website or app to cheat!

All eleven of them, and their Panama opponents, are playing in a bit of heavy rain at present, but England are still moving the ball around quickly at times.

23:00 CET - We are underway in the first two games of the day, which will see the remaining round of 32 matches take shape.

21:55 CET - The team news is out for both games tonight, with England making five changes to their starting XI. Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Jarell Quansah and Marcus Rashford make their first starts of the tournament, while Declan Rice is rested. The Three Lions have a chance to clinch top spot against Panama.

For Croatia, Josko Gvardiol is dropped to the bench, as Croatia look to secure their qualification against a Ghana side also targeting top spot.

England - Panama line-ups
England - Panama line-upsFlashscore
Croatia - Ghana line-ups
Croatia - Ghana line-upsFlashscore

17:30 CET - As we continue the long build-up to the first games today from Group L, why not read our latest features on Colombia ahead of their blockbuster clash against Portugal overnight? 

From Falcao to Diaz: Colombia’s strong connection with Liga Portugal in recent history

Luis Suarez facing task of turning club form into goals for Colombia at World Cup

15:55 CET - There is a long way to go until the first two matches of the day, so check our latest features to keep you occupied!

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13:30 CET - Good afternoon and welcome to a big day at the World Cup with an action-packed lineup. The final three groups reach their conclusion over the course of tonight and to the delight of those wanting to follow all the action, each group is back-to-back until 6am CET!

So strap in with us as we build up towards an epic day of football and prepare for what promises to be an epic night.

As always, catch up on all of yesterday's action with our daily highlights, or relive all of the drama as it unfolded in the day 16 live tracker.

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First up is the conclusion of Group L with England hoping to secure top spot against Panama, and Croatia take on Ghana with aspirations of securing their place in the knockouts. 

That is quickly followed by the fascinating final games in Group K as Portugal and Colombia go head-to-head to decide who wins the group. In the other game, D.R. Congo can book their place as one of the best third-placed sides if they can secure three points against Uzbekistan.

And finally, in the early hours, Group J concludes with a winner-takes-all clash between Algeria and Austria. In the other clash, group winners Argentina are expected to rotate against a Jordan side with nothing to play for.

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