Thomas Tuchel has issued a warning to England's World Cup adversaries, stating that the team will elevate its performance as the tournament progresses. Following a 2-0 victory over Panama that secured England's top spot in Group L, Tuchel declared, "The bigger the games get, the bigger we'll get."

Jude Bellingham was instrumental in the win, breaking the deadlock in the second half before assisting Harry Kane for his record-breaking goal. Bellingham's opener came in the 62nd minute from a Bukayo Saka corner, and he later provided the cross for Kane, who now stands as England's all-time leading World Cup scorer, surpassing Gary Lineker.

"Now we collect our strengths and collect our energy," Tuchel said after the match. "We build on what we have. The team spirit, fighting spirit, I believe, and we will step up."

Bellingham, named man-of-the-match for the second consecutive game, expressed satisfaction with the team's initial objective. "First job achieved. We came here to do it in sections and we got through the pre-games well and we achieved the first job - we got through the group and won it," he told ITV. "We know what level we are at and what we want to achieve and we did in the second half. Every day we have to try to improve and it's up to us to do that."

Bellingham also lauded captain Harry Kane's performance and leadership. "He continues to raise his level and it is incredible. It's everything he deserves. You see the effort he puts in as captain and how he leads us. His quality speaks for itself, he is the best."

Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty in breaking down a resilient Panama side, noting that England was the only team to create and score multiple chances against them in the group stage. "We were very aggressive. We had to be very careful with the counter attacks, because they're strong. We did well overall and deserved to win, but it was a hard piece of work."

However, the victory was tempered by an injury concern for defender Jarell Quansah, who hobbled off the field in the 60th minute. Quansah was making his first start in the tournament, with Tino Livramento and Reece James already sidelined. "Jarell, I don't know, had to go off injured, so we need to see," Tuchel stated. In more positive news, Bukayo Saka played 63 minutes without apparent issue after an Achilles problem, and Declan Rice was rested.

England will proceed to the round of 32, with their next match scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta.