NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia, June 24 (Xinhua) -- England coach Gareth Southgate said on Sunday that he was really pleased with his team's ruthlessness in the first half against Panama at the World Cup.
A hat-trick from Harry Kane, two headers from John Stones and Jesse Lingard's score helped England crush Panama with a 6-1 win, which is the biggest victory at the World Cup finals for the Three Lions.
England has secured a position in the last 16 with the win.
Southgate said at the post-match press conference that he was "really pleased of course with the way we were ruthless for half an hour or so".
"It was a different type of win to the other day," he added, referring to the match on June 19 which England beat Tunisia with the late goal from Kane.
England hasn't scored more than two goals in its last 14 World Cup final matches. Even Southgate said he felt strange in the interval of Sunday's match.
"For me, just before halftime the game was done today, so it was a very strange feeling watching the second half just trying to encourage the players to remain professional in the way that they played and be a top team by being ruthless," he told the press.
With the second consecutive victory in the group stage, England now enjoys the same points as Belgium. For the final round of the group stage, the two teams will meet in Kaliningrad on June 28 to determine who will be the top of Group G.
Looking forward to the next game, Southgate said Belgium is a team with outstanding individual players, clear pattern of play and great experiences from the last World Cup and European Championship.
However, the England coach said his team has gained confidence and learned lessons from the games that other teams played in the past weeks. He vowed that England will keep the good momentum and fight to the end.
With regard to the performance of Kane, Southgate said the Tottenham Hotspur striker now is up at the top of the list of the world's great players.
"What is great for me is the way he sacrifices himself for the team by holding the ball up. He was not standing there and waiting for the chances. When he gets opportunities we know he will bury them," Southgate said.
