Jude Bellingham has put England on his back - but rest must step up fast if World Cup dream is to be realised: Winners and losers as Thomas Tuchel's team again toil while right-back injury woes continue

It's hard to believe there was ever a debate over whether Bellingham would start for England this summer, such have been his outstanding displays of both quality and leadership through the group stages.

Deployed in a deeper role against Panama so as to allow Declan Rice the chance to rest his aching limbs, Bellingham was all-action from the very first whistle. He threw himself into tackles, looked to dribble past numerous Panama defenders and offered direction to team-mates at every opportunity.

Neither his goal or assist were straightforward, but Bellingham made them look easy. "That is just the quality of Jude Bellingham" Panama manager Thomas Christiansen admitted after full-time.

After 71 minutes, Bellingham's work was done. He led the game in ground duels contested, ground duels won, tackles, fouls won, chances created, attempted take-ons, successful take-ons and, of course, goal involvements. Only Kane and Wayne Rooney have now scored more tournament goals for England in the 21st century. What else can Tuchel ask for?

"He's just in a sweet spot after his injury. He's happy to play again, he just feels free... He needs to play with this intensity, he loves to play on this kind of stage," the manager said.

Bellingham will turn 23 on Monday ahead of the knockout rounds. It's scary that one so young can be so talismanic already.

The question in the run up to this tournament had been whether Tuchel should start Morgan Rogers or Bellingham, but on Saturday, he opted for both.

Bellingham and Rogers had previously started twice for England together, and while both had resulted in wins, neither player scored or assisted, suggesting they might not be truly compatible

But while Bellingham stepped up in impressive fashion, Aston Villa star Rogers struggled to make his presence felt. He lived on the periphery of the game, getting in his touches here and there, but never really offered much in an attacking sense. Two chances created, zero shots are numbers that don't exactly inspire confidence.

"They can play with each other. They are a threat to any opponent," Tuchel asserted after the game, despite Rogers' mixed performance, and his role going forward this summer feels uncertain. He will almost certainly return to the bench for the knockouts with Rice available, and Rogers will need to produce more from the bench than he did from the start here.

For long periods, this was another game to forget for Kane. He never got going on the ball while his licence to roam led, at one point, to him defending in his own 18-yard-box, rather than providing a focal point at the other end of the pitch.

When in a Bayern Munich shirt, Kane is able to effect the game at all times. For England, though, he is more of a player of moments. Get the ball to Kane in a dangerous area and he will score. That's what Bellingham did with his cross, and Kane obliged with a tidy header from inside the six-yard-box.

The captain is now England's all-time top goal-scorer at World Cups with 11 goals - surpassing Gary Lineker's mark of 10.

"Everybody is very happy because he is a fantastic team-mate," Tuchel said of his skipper. "I'm not even aware of all of these things and all of these records... It's fantastic that he has the chance to break this record in a World Cup. He's in amazing state of mind, physically as well. He's ready to go all the way in this World Cup."

A quiet matchday for Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland meant Kane was also able to close the gap on some of his main rivals for the Golden Boot, even if Lionel Messi stretched his lead in the top-scorer charts later on Saturday evening. Still, Kane has some positive momentum again after a chastening game against Ghana.

Tuchel decided, when he pieced together this England squad, to take two natural right-backs in Reece James and Tino Livramento. In the last three weeks, both - perhaps unsurprisingly due to their recent histories - have been struck down by injuries. Livramento's injury ruled him out of the tournament on the eve of England's first game, and while James remains with the squad, he faces at least one more game out after sitting out Saturday's win.

Tuchel responded by asserting that Jarell Quansah, a natural centre-back who has operated on the right side of a back three at Bayer Leverkusen, could play the position. That wasn' an entirely unfair assessment, but with him having suffered an ankle injury after an hour against Panama, resources have been stretched even thinner..

"It will be a tight race for Reece James and Jarell Quansah," Tuchel said of their fitness while looking ahead to Wednesday's game with DR Congo. "Of course we are worried about these two. But in general we find solutions and we will try to find solutions."

The decision not to take Trent Alexander-Arnold now looks even more questionable than it did at the end of May, while the call to replace Livramento with central defender Trevoh Chalobah also now looks misguided. The solution for now is likely to be Djed Spence, who has spent the majority of the past three seasons playing on the left. It's a far from ideal situation to be in when you are aiming to win a World Cup.

Following last week's scoreless draw with Ghana, Tuchel suggested that he had come up with a new plan to break down low blocks, but he was reluctant to deploy it midway through the game in Boston. And if that was a tactical masterstroke that was supposed to bring England alive, it failed here.

Sure, he tweaked things, with the inclusion of both Rogers and Bellingham supplemented by Saka and Marcus Rashford earning recalls. Tuchel admitted that he intentionally wanted to play with six players along the front line, effectively switching to a 3-1-6 when England had the ball. In theory, it allowed the Three Lions to outnumber Panama, but ipractice, the result wasn't so compelling.

England created little in the first half, putting just two shots on target. In the second, it was a set-piece, and then a goal in transition, that opened the game up.

England played to their strengths, but this performance didn't answer any of the questions that remain about their ability to break down dogged defensive setups. DR Congo are unlikely to open up in the next round, either, meaning fans might be in for another tense evening in midweek.

It is worth remembering that England had already qualified for the round of 32 heading into this game. What was on the line instead was how kind their draw would be going forward.

On one side of the bracket, which England secured a place in by topping their group, lay three tough potential opponents: Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. England would not be favourites against the latter, while playing El Tri at the Azteca would be daunting, while Brazil in Miami would be close to an away game in terms of atmosphere too.

Had England finished second, however, then things would have looked even more daunting. Portugal would have been their last-32 opponents, with Spain likely lying in wait should the Three Lions progress. France's fearsome forwards would be their semi-final opponents if seedings held, too.

So this win may be looked back on as being very important in three weeks' time if England are back in New Jersey for the final. They still won't have things all their own way in the side of the bracket they did land in, but DR Congo should at least offer another chance to iron out the kinks before the level of their opponents takes a considerable jump.