Keane likens England's toothless first half against Panama to 'watching Scotland'

Roy Keane delivered a withering verdict on England’s first-half performance against Panama at the 2026 World Cup in New Jersey, comparing Thomas Tuchel’s side to Scotland — a team on the verge of a group-stage exit — as they laboured through a frustrating 45 minutes in their Group L fixture.

Despite fielding an attacking line-up that included Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane, England struggled to create clear chances and were dragged into a sluggish contest against lower-ranked opposition.

“They are struggling, lacking that intensity,” Keane said during ITV’s half-time coverage. “Sometimes when you are playing a team with less quality, you are going to be dragged down to their level. That’s what England kind of seem to have done. Their top players haven’t shown up.”

Keane drew an unflattering comparison with France’s performance the previous day, where high-quality wide players had delivered on the big stage. “It’s just like watching Scotland,” he said. “A real lack of quality. That bad.”

The criticism carried added edge given the context: England had opened the tournament with a vibrant attacking display against Croatia, but had since struggled in their second group game against Ghana. A win against Panama would secure top spot in Group L, making the flat showing all the more difficult to explain.

Former England right-back Gary Neville, alongside Keane in the ITV studio, echoed his ex-Manchester United teammate’s concerns. “In the last 15 minutes before half time, the crowd started to get a little bit ‘ooh’, and you could feel the pressure start building,” Neville said. “The faces started to look a little bit drained of the forward players, they looked like they were a little bit tense. They’ve just got to settle themselves down at half time. We’ve got good enough players out there, but they’ve got to start demonstrating it.”