England and Belgium qualified for the World Cup knockout phase after Gareth Southgate's side swept Panama aside 6-1 on Sunday (June 24), condemning the Central American side and Tunisia to an early exit.

England's forward Harry Kane applauds as he leaves the field during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group G football match between England and Panama at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 24, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)

Captain Harry Kane scored a hat-trick and there were two goals for John Stones and one for Jesse Lingard in the Group G match in Nizhny Novogrod.

England made a blistering start as they hit five past Panama in the first half.

Stones opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a header. Kane then got his first via a penalty after Lingard was bundled over in the box.

Lingard made it three with a superb curling strike after a well-worked England move, before Stones made it 4-0 after Raheem Sterling's effort was blocked.

Kane made it five just before the break after he had been wrestled to the ground. This was the first time England had scored five goals in a World Cup match.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker claimed his hat-trick just after the hour mark when Ruben Loftus-Cheek's shot spun off his heels and into the net.

Filipe Baloy pulled one back for Panama in the 78^th minute, the country's first World Cup goal, but it was little more than a consolation./.

VNF/Reuters