Kane’s hat trick shines in England’s 6-1 victory over Panama

England's Harry Kane celebrates after he scored his side's second goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

England's Jesse Lingard reacts as he celebrates with teammate England's Raheem Sterling, left, after scoring his team's third goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

England's Harry Kane kicks a penalty to score his team's second goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

England players run to teammate John Stones after he scored his team's first goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

England's and Russia's fans pose for a photo as they watch the group G soccer match between England and Panama at the 2018 World Cup on a big screen in a fan zone during the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

England's Panama's Blas Perez, middle, with England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek, right, jump for the ball during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England's Harry Kane, left, and Panama's Gabriel Gomez go for a header during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor Caivano)

Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, left, blocks a shoot from England's Raheem Sterling during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, left, reaches for the ball as teammate John Stones reacts during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England supporters celebrate their team's 6-1 victory at the end of the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

A Panama supporter reacts after his team's 6-1 loss in their group G match against England at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Panama' Felipe Baloy, left, scores his site's first goal as England's Danny Rose watches on during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England's Jordan Henderson, left, vies for the ball with Panama's Alberto Quintero during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek, right, and Panama's Armando Cooper challenge for the ball during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fans cheer during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor Caivano)

England's Harry Maguire, left, and Panama's Michael Murillo go for a header during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Victor Caivano)

England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek, left, and Panama's Armando Cooper challenge for the ball during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek, right, and Panama's Blas Perez challenge for the ball during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Panama's Michael Murillo, top, avoids colliding with England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, right, during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

England's Kyle Walker, left, vies for the ball with Panama's Blas Perez during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

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By Rob Harris The Associated Press

June 24, 2018 - 9:18 am

Updated June 24, 2018 - 3:12 pm

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia — With two penalties and an accidental deflection, Harry Kane moved ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo and put England into the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Kane scored half of England’s goals Sunday in a 6-1 rout of Panama, the national team’s largest-ever margin of victory at the World Cup.

“The third one is probably one of the luckiest ones of my career,” said Kane, who took the game ball to the locker room. “Sometimes you go through spells where you are scoring and sometimes it doesn’t fall for you.

“Not many players get to score a hat trick in a World Cup.”

Kane has scored a tournament-leading five goals at the World Cup in Russia, one more than Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku. He also has 18 for England’s national team, one more than Beckham.

Not since the 4-2 victory over Germany in the 1966 final has England scored as many goals at the World Cup.

The ruthlessness of the display in the sweltering heat of Nizhny Novgorod showed just how far England has been transformed in the four years since an older, more experienced squad couldn’t even manage a win when it exited the World Cup in the group stage.

In 2014, England complained about the heat in Brazil — particularly the humidity of the Amazonian jungle in the team’s opening loss to Italy.

Kane scored two in the opening 2-1 victory over Tunisia, including a header in injury time.

Now England is sure of a spot in the round of 16 with a game to spare in Group G. Panama, which offered little resistance, is leaving the tournament early after being eliminated along with Tunisia.

Sterner tests await, starting with the Thursday’s game against Belgium. England and Belgium are level on points and goal difference and will play for first place in the group.

Japan, Senegal draw, 2-2

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — Keisuke Honda sat on the bench for 72 minutes, knowing a goal would make him the first Japanese player to score at three World Cups.

Six minutes later, it was a done deal.

The former AC Milan forward scored in the 78th minute, knocking the ball past two defenders standing on the goal line, to give Japan a 2-2 draw with Senegal on Sunday at the World Cup.

The 32-year-old Honda also scored at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He has 37 international goals in his career.

“I believe I used substitutions very well in looking back,” said Japan coach Akira Nishino, who took over shortly before the tournament started. “Honda was moved from center to the wide side and he was very versatile at adapting to that position.

“We really wanted to win, we wanted to equalize and also take the lead even though there was only a short period of time left.”

The draw keeps both teams at the top of Group H ahead of their final matches. Japan will next face Poland in Volgograd on Thursday while Senegal faces Colombia in Samara.

Colombia over Poland, 3-0

Four years after Radamel Falcao was supposed to lead Colombia at the World Cup, he’s doing just that.

Falcao missed the tournament in Brazil with a knee injury and had to wait until arriving in Russia to score his first World Cup goal. It came in Colombia’s 3-0 victory over Poland on Sunday.

“It’s a dream goal,” Falcao said. “I’m happy for the victory, for the team’s performance and the goal that I scored, which I’ve been waiting for for many years.”

The victory kept Colombia in the running for a spot in the round of 16 and knocked out Poland, the first European country to be eliminated.

Falcao, Colombia’s all-time leading scorer with 30 goals, made sure he would stay healthy for this year’s World Cup by sitting out several matches with his Monaco club this season.

So far, so good.

“We always hope that he can score and hope that he can be fit as he was today, and we want to help him,” Colombia coach Jose Pekerman said. “I think the fact that he scored was very important, not just for today but for the matches to come.

“He is a symbol of the national team. He is a symbol of Colombian football.”

Playing some scintillating soccer in Kazan, Falcao scored with the outside of his foot in the 70th minute after a superb pass from playmaker Juan Quintero in the back of the defense.

Yerry Mina scored the first goal in the 40th and Juan Cuadrado completed the win in the 75th.

Both teams lost their Group H openers and knew another loss would end their hopes of advancing. Colombia will next face Senegal on Thursday in Samara with a chance to win the group, while Poland will play Japan in Volgograd.