Nervy England march on to next stage as Scotland manager quits after team crashes out

Bellingham and Kane came to England's rescue as they beat Panama 2-0 to finish top of Group L, but it's a different story for Scotland whose manage quit following their elimination from the World Cup Harry Kane is now England's all-time top World Cup goalscorer. Picture: Alamy England beat Panama 2-0 to finish top of their group and secure their place in the knockouts. The Tartan Army, however, had no such luck as Scotland were officially eliminated. After a goalless first half, a corner gave Jude Bellingham the chance to put the Three Lions in front, before a header from Harry Kane scored him a place in the history books as he became England’s all-time top World Cup goalscorer.England were already guaranteed of a place in the knockout phase following Friday’s fixtures and wrapped up top spot in Group L with a 2-0 triumph.It’s a different story for Scotland, however, as their exit from the World Cup was confirmed after Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 in Philadelphia. Scotland manager Steve Clarke stepped down following their elimination, saying: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players".Read more: LIVE: England beat Panama 2-0 to finish top of World Cup Group L as Scotland knocked outRead more: Scotland's World Cup adventure shows football at its very best. FIFA must stop pricing real fans out, writes Gordon Brown Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham scored England's two goals, securing them the top place in their group. Picture: Alamy England's first half was, in Harry Kane's post-match words, "a little bit sloppy". There were a couple of shots on target that were saved by Panama's goalkeeper, but the Three Lions largely struggled to make an impact.Possibly the most excitement the rainy MetLife stadium saw during the first match was the booing during the hydration breaks. The start of the second half didn't look much more promising at first, as there were multiple missed shots, followed by Jarell Quansah going down in the 62nd minute after coming together with Panama's Jose Luis Rodriguez. But then Jude Bellingham directed a ball in from a corner to score England's breakthrough goal of the match.Shortly after that, Harry Kane headed a cross into the top left-hand corner to put England ahead by two, and to put himself ahead of Gary Lineker to become England's all-time top World Cup goalscorer.England manager Thomas Tuchel said after the match: "Good, good performance again, everyone did what they needed to do. Jude was a big part of it."England’s next match will be on Wednesday, July 1 in Atlanta, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm BST. Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has stepped down after the team crashes out of the World Cup. Picture: Alamy But there was no such glory for Scotland, as Croatia’s 2-1 win over Ghana denied them their hope of continuing in the World Cup as one of the best third-placed teams.Today’s confirmation that they were out of the World Cup was largely expected, but nonetheless disappointing for the Tartan Army.Steve Clarke, Scotland’s manager, announced he would step down after the team’s exit from the tournament was confirmed. He said: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now."They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their Gaffer. Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor."The Scottish FA said that, while they were disappointed with the end result, “we must not lose sight of the undeniable progress made during Steve’s seven years in charge."We thank Steve for his record-breaking contributions and know that when the disappointment of the World Cup elimination subsides, the Scotland supporters will be thankful for the memories of marching with pride at major tournaments once again.”

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