England 6-1 Panama: Three things we learned

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 24: John Stones of England celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between England and Panama at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 24, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

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NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA – JUNE 24: John Stones of England scores the opening goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between England and Panama at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 24, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images) /

England secured their spot in the round of 16 with a beautiful first-half blitz against a beastly Panama. Here’s what we learned from their record 6-1 win:

England: Set-piece experts

Six of England’s eight goals at the World Cup have come from set-pieces. It is by some margin the most of any side in Russia, and just goes on to show how much practice has gone into this aspect of the game.

A lot of teams often teams tend to overlook it, but Gareth Southgate hasn’t jumped onto the bandwagon, and in doing so, he has made this side really, really tough to defend against from set-piece situations.

This is what happens when you have a top-class coach at the helm, who can analyse a group of players well, and add more value to their set of skills.