EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: A sea of red-and-white-clad England supporters serenaded Jude Bellingham with The Beatles' "Hey Jude" after Saturday's 2-0 win over Panama, a fitting soundtrack for the player who has become a focal point of England's World Cup campaign.
Bellingham delivered the breakthrough England desperately needed on Saturday, scoring once and setting up Harry Kane in the victory that secured top spot in Group L and a potentially smoother path through the tournament's knockout rounds.
After a laboured first hour in which England dominated possession but created little, Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, forcing home Bukayo Saka's corner from close range despite being tightly marked.
Also read | Nikola Vlasic's late header lifts Croatia past Ghana to seal 2nd place in Group L
Five minutes later he clipped in a cross for Kane, who rose above his marker to head home for an historic 11th World Cup goal for England.
The joyous post-game moments were a stark contrast to his difficult season at Real Madrid marked by injury issues and inconsistency.
He has also experienced a complicated relationship with England supporters, drawing criticism from some sections of social media.
The 22-year-old addressed the criticism after England's 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening match, in which he also scored, saying: "Personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us try to win games."
On Saturday, England spent an increasingly tense hour probing for an opening and finding little reward.
Panama's stubborn resistance was beginning to test the patience of supporters and raise uncomfortable questions about England's cutting edge before Bellingham provided the answer.
"First job achieved," he said. "We came here to do it in sections and we got through the pre-games well and we achieved the first job -- we got through the group and won it.
"We know what level we are at and what we want to achieve and we did in the second half. Every day we have to try to improve and it's up to us to do that."
England manager Tuchel hailed Bellingham's contribution.
"Good performance, happy he is in this kind of shape and everyone did what they needed to do, and Jude was a big part of that," Tuchel said.
Bellingham was pleased he was able to set up Kane to become England's all-time leading goalscorer at World Cups with 11.
"He continues to raise his level and it is incredible," Bellingham said. "It's everything he deserves. You see the effort he puts in as captain and how he leads us. His quality speaks for itself, he is the best."
Bellingham also became the youngest European player to feature in four consecutive major tournaments -- World Cups and European Championships -- at this event.
