Gareth Southgate Admits He 'Didn't Like' England Performance Despite Record Win Over Panama

Gareth Southgate admitted that he didn't like the way England started or finished against Panama, despite reaching the last 16 with a 6-1 win - their biggest ever in the World Cup.

The Three Lions scored five goals in the first half as they qualified for the knockout stages with time and energy to spare, but Southgate believed that his team could have played even better.

"I didn't like the start and I didn't like their goal at the end," he told BBC Sport's Gabby Logan. "I guess the bits in the middle were pretty good, but I am being hyper-critical."

Panama created a couple of openings in the early throes of the match, including one where Anibal Godoy should have done better. England also dropped off towards the end of the game, allowing Felipe Baloy to score Panama's first ever World Cup goal.

But in between it was a magical display, with Harry Kane scoring three times, John Stones twice and Jesse Lingard once as England steamrollered their inferior opponents.

"Confidence-wise it was important we were able to score goals," added Southgate. "We want to keep momentum, so we'll have to think about the team we want to put out against Belgium.

"There's an opportunity as well for players who need a match, but also we want to keep winning football matches. It's a nice decision to make."

England and Belgium now have the same points, goal difference and goals scored, meaning that they are separated by fair play record only ahead of their meeting in Kaliningrad on Thursday.

It looks like the team that finished 2nd in the group may have a kinder path through the knockout stages, but England will want to keep their momentum going after this historic result.