FIFA WC: Promising England look to dominate Panama

Nizhny Novgorod [Russia], Jun 24 (ANI): A resurgent England would be looking to continue its winning momentum when it will lock horns with debutants Panama in their Group G FIFA World Cup clash at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium here on Sunday.

England head into the game after eking Tunisia with a narrow 2-1 win, courtesy a last-minute header by skipper Harry Kane, giving his team a victory in the campaign after 12 years.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker, who is England's youngest World Cup captain ever at 24, also found the net at the beginning of the game to keep his team ahead in the match.

England would be looking to eye a spot in the round of 16 by earning three more points to ensure their qualification to the next round.

England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been ruled out of the Sunday's game due to a thigh strain. Alli sustained the injury during their Panama fixture.

On the other hand, Panama, who is playing their first World Cup would be looking to open their account with a win to stay in contention for progressing to the round of 16.

Although Panama made a promising start, Belgium rode away with a fantastic 3-0 win against the Latin American side.

In the second match, Japan will cross swords with Senegal in their Group H fixture in Ekaterinburg Arena.

Both Japan and Senegal won handsomely, outwitting Colombia and Poland to register their first victories in the tournament.

The two teams showed their defending might in their respective matches, and both would be looking to earn three crucial points to progress to the next round.

It is to be noted that Senegal is undefeated in four group-stage matches at the FIFA World Cup so far. The African nation is now just one clear of the mark set by East Germany and Wales.

In the last game, both Poland and Colombia come into their Group H game at Kazan Arena after they registered shocking losses to Senegal and Japan respectively.

Both teams would be looking to shrug off the painful defeats and individual errors to fight it out for a spot in the round of 16.

For Colombia, James Rodriguez is likely to return to the side after the Bayern Munich star came into the match against Japan as a substitute.

Defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez was awarded a red-card, the second fastest in history, in the third minute for an intentional handball that denied a goal-scoring opportunity.

On a related note, the full England and Panama squads are as follows:

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Nick Pope, Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland.

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Fabian Delph, Ashley Young, Trent-Alexander Arnold.

Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jesse Lingard, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Ruben-Loftus Cheek.

Forwards: Harry Kane (C), Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy, Danny Welbeck, Marcus Rashford.

Panama squad:

Goalkeepers: Jose Calderon , Jaime Penedo, Alex Rodriguez.

Defenders: Felipe Baloy, Harold Cummings, Eric Davis, Fidel Escobar, Adolfo Machado, Michael Murillo, Luis Ovalle, Roman Torres (C).

Midfielders: Edgar Barcenas, Armando Cooper , Anibal Godoy, Gabriel Gomez, Valentin Pimentel, Alberto Quintero, Jose Luis Rodriguez.

Forwards: Abdiel Arroyo, Ismael Diaz, Blas Perez, Luis Tejada, Gabriel Torres. (ANI)

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