Norwich City will love one thing that happened in England's 2-0 win v Panama | OneFootball

England were victorious over Panama in their final group game of the World Cup, but one Norwich City man excelled for the Panamanians

England secured top spot in Group L on Saturday evening with a grind-it-out 2-0 win over Panama and will begin their knockout campaign against DR Congo on Wednesday.

It was another difficult matchup, similar to the Ghana stalemate earlier that week, where Thomas Tuchel's side struggled to break down a resolute defence for long periods.

Ultimately, a five-minute flurry in the second half saw England net twice through Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, sending the Three Lions back to winning ways and quelling any worries of finishing below Croatia in the group.

It was a much-needed win for England, and fans across the world were happy with the three points, albeit frustrated at the struggle they incurred when it came to breaking Panama down.

Fans of Norwich City, though, would have been hiding their smiles at the strong defensive performance from Thomas Christensen's side, as it highlighted one of their centre-backs, Jose Cordoba.

Jose Cordoba was brilliant for Panama against England

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As is always the case when England faces a lesser-known side in international competition, there's a slight focus on anyone in the opposition squad who plays in England, as they'd be better known to the audience over here.

On Saturday, Norwich were given a mention when the Three Lions faced Panama, as Canaries defender Cordoba was the man in the middle of the back five for a stubborn Los Canaleros side who held Thomas Tuchel's men for the better part of an hour.

Per Fotmob, the 25-year-old ended the game with 11 defensive contributions, nine of which were clearances, and the other two were tackles. He made six recoveries and wasn't dribbled past once, while he also won two of three ground duels and one of two aerial duels.

Additionally, with the ball at feet, Cordoba only misplaced two of his 39 passes, made two of them into the final third and completed five out of six long balls.

It was a brilliant defensive display in a match where he had to be on his game for all 90 minutes, and it could have easily been a lot more for England if not for the Norwich man marshalling the backline.

Jose Cordoba's World Cup performance will give Norwich City hope going into the new Championship campaign

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Cordoba is nicknamed the Prince of Panama by Norwich fans, but after a strong end to his second season at Carrow Road that bled into the World Cup campaign, even if it did end in elimination with no points, he may be in line for a kingship soon.

It's been two years since the 25-year-old signed for the Canaries from Bulgarian outfit Levski Sofia for £3 million, and it's safe to say that he's endured a mixed time in Norfolk.

The Norwich side a couple of years ago under Johannes Hoff Thorup wasn't exactly the most praised Canaries squad in recent years, as the club failed to build on a play-off campaign the year before and finished 13th. Cordoba started just 24 times in his debut year.

Last season, a hamstring injury picked up while with Panama in October ruled him out for two months, after which Liam Manning was sacked, and Philippe Clement was beginning his impressive reign as Norwich boss.

It wouldn't be until late January that Cordoba would be integrated fully back into the Canaries fold, but he started all but two of their final 18 league games as Norwich made a late push for a top-six spot, which fell just short.

After a strong World Cup campaign in which the 25-year-old played every minute, his task now will be to remain healthy for the entirety of the 2026/27 term, and if he can, you can bet he'll be one of the first names on the teamsheet at Carrow Road.

And if he can replicate some of that performance against the best that the country has to offer on Saturday throughout the upcoming Championship term, Norwich, who are already pre-season dark horses for promotion, could see a top-two push become a reality as the campaign progresses.