Panama 0-2 England result, stats and report

Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English player to land the award since Michael Owen in 2001, off a 73-goal season for Bayern Munich and England. The win, which saw him beat Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal, has reignited debate over his 2023 Tottenham exit and exposed an awkward pre-ceremony leak by organisers.

Alex Scott has rejected a new Bournemouth contract, leaving the England midfielder open to Liverpool and Chelsea interest in January. But with Chelsea simultaneously chasing Frenkie de Jong, Adam Wharton and Manu Kone, Scott's link is just one strand of a sprawling midfield wishlist.

Xabi Alonso has publicly defended Cole Palmer's commitment to England, confirming the Chelsea forward's Nations League withdrawal stemmed from a recurrence of his pubalgia problem, not reluctance to play. The rebuttal follows Thomas Tuchel's pointed criticism and Piers Morgan's 'bottle job' jibe, turning a fitness update into a club-versus-country trust dispute ahead of November's Croatia and Spain fixtures.

Harry Kane equalled Peter Shilton's 36-year-old England caps record and extended his own all-time scoring record with a brace against Czechia, strengthening his claim as England's greatest ever international.

Alex Scott played through thigh pain to star on his full England debut in the 7-0 win over Croatia, but the injury has worsened into a problem that could keep him out for two months, prompting Thomas Tuchel to apologise to Bournemouth manager Marco Rose.

Thomas Tuchel has floated Jude Bellingham as an emergency England centre-forward, a tactical idea that doubles as an admission of how thin his striker options are behind the 33-year-old Harry Kane.

Slaven Bilic returns as Croatia manager 14 years after his first spell, facing England in a behind-closed-doors Nations League match in Rijeka. His charm helped build the foundations for Zlatko Dalic's golden generation, but succeeding the most successful coach in Croatian history will take more than nostalgia.