Thomas Tuchel has predicted England “will step up” as the World Cup progresses.
England had already qualified for the knockout stages prior to taking on Panama in their final Group L game on Saturday night, though a 2-0 win confirmed top spot.
Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock just after the hour mark as he poked home Bukayo Saka’s corner.
The Real Madrid star, playing in a deeper midfield role, then turned provider five minutes later as his cross was headed home by Harry Kane - who became England’s highest scoring player at a World Cup with 11 goals.
However, there has been some criticism about England’s performance as they did struggle to break down a resolute Panama defence, particularly in the first half.
Speaking to ITV after the game, Tuchel was pleased with the result and insist the best is yet to come from the Three Lions.
"We did what we needed. It was as we expected against a difficult opponent. We were the only team to create this amount of chances against Panama,” Tuchel said.
“Everyone did what we needed to do and Jude was a big part of that. There's more to build on and you have to get so many details right with the aggressive approach we take.
“But the tournament starts again now with the knockouts. We collect our strengths and our energy and we build on what we have.
“We will step up. The bigger the games, the better we'll get."
By progressing as Group L winners, England will face one of the best third-placed teams in the round of 32 in Atlanta on July 1.
Three Lions could face three possible opponents, as it stands they are on course to face Senegal, with DR Congo also a likely opponent and Algeria are the outside contender.
