England surpasses class of 1966 in Panama rout

Memories of England's most famous ever win were evoked during a rampant first half against Panama in Nizhny Novgorod.

Published : Jun 24, 2018 19:44 IST

England's stunning first half against Panama on Sunday saw them score four goals in a World Cup match for the time since the 1966 final against West Germany.

Gareth Southgate's side blew away its Central American opponent with two goals apiece from John Stones and Harry Kane, as well as a Jesse Lingard strike inside the opening 45 minutes to take a 5-0 lead into the interval.

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Stones' second saw the Three Lions score four in one match at football's showpiece event since the 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley 52 years ago. Geoff Hurst was the hero on that occasion, scoring a hat-trick in England's most famous triumph.

Its blistering first-half display was also only the fifth time in World Cup history that a team has scored five or more goals in the first half. The last time that happened was in Germany's incredible 7-1 win over Brazil in the 2014 semifinal.

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