Belgium vs Panama, England vs Tunisia: What we learned from Group G

After seeing the likes of England, France, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, and Spain all feature, fans finally got to see Belgium and England join the party as they took on underdogs Panama and Tunisia respectively.

The outcomes ended up being as expected, with England seeing off Tunisia whilst Belgium crushed debutants Panama. However, it wasn’t as smooth sailing for the European duo as expected. Here’s some key observations from both of the games from Group G, starting with Belgium and Panama.

1. Debutants they may be, but Panama aren’t here to just make up the numbers

Although Panama were eventually swept aside, they debutants put up a brave fight. The fact that they were able to go into the interval tied at 0-0 was impressive to say the least and they will hope to try the same tactic to frustrate England and Tunisia – whilst possibly nicking their first ever goal.

2. England’s wastefulness will come back to haunt them

England may have beaten Tunisia 2-1, but they should have been up by many more goals even before the first half was over. Jesse Lingard was arguably the chief offender when it came to missing chances, as a more clinical performance would have seen the Manchester United man grab at least a brace or a hat-trick. Raheem Sterling also fluffed his lines – something Manchester City fans have seen time and time again, and even Harry Kane failed to convert a couple of gilt-edged chances.

What does this mean? Well, against less skilled opponents, like Tunisia, they could get away with it. But when pitted against the likes of Belgium and other tougher foes if they get out of their group, squandering chances will come back to haunt them.

3. However, Harry Kane is proving to be a reliable option up front

We all knew that Harry Kane can score goals. He’s been doing it for the past couple of seasons for Tottenham, but was very frustrated at EURO 2016 as he was played out of position – even taking corner kicks – to accommodate the very ineffective Wayne Rooney as the no. 9. Well, Rooney has since been phased out and the skipper position handed to the Tottenham ace.

Kane may have missed a few chances, but he stood up and delivered when it counted. He gave them a vital opener, and after Kyle Walker’s moment of madness gifted Tunisia a penalty, snatched the game winner to help England remain joint-top of their quartet alongside Belgium.

4. But England shouldn’t get ahead of themselves…

As good as England’s result against Tunisia was, it was not a shocker. In fact, the Three Lions were expected to beat Tunisia, and they did just that. There are some who will start celebrating, and they should put away the champagne, as the real games will start if England, as expected, get out of their group.

5. …meanwhile Belgium also haven’t fully established themselves as serious contenders

Just like England’s win over Tunisia was predictable, so was Belgium’s against Panama. The Red Devils are a top-five side. Panama, as noted are making their debut. Romelu Lukaku netted a vital brace to open his World Cup account, whilst Napoli’s Dries Mertens brought his great goal-scoring record from club level onto the international stage to earn a solid win.

That being said, the team didn’t appear to be fluid, and they did struggle for 45 minutes to break down Panama’s stubborn defense. Hopefully, having already gotten three points in the bag, Belgium’s boss Roberto Martinez will figure out a way as to how to effectively manage the stunning wealth of attacking riches they have as the Red Devils aim to make their mark in Russia this summer.