England's World Cup clash with Panama got off to an embarrassing start after the Three Lions were caught out by a little-known rule change.
Thomas Tuchel's side suffered an early moment of confusion. And it handed Panama possession inside the opening 10 minutes.
England won a throw-in deep on the right flank. Bukayo Saka collected the ball and looked ready to restart play.
But there was a problem.
England boss Thomas Tuchel was not happy with his side in the first half
|REUTERS
Jarrell Quansah then made his way over to take the throw instead. The plan was for Saka to move further forward into a more dangerous position.
As Saka rolled the ball across to his team-mate, the referee intervened.
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England had taken too long.
The throw-in was immediately awarded to Panama, leaving players and fans scratching their heads.
Fortunately for England, Panama failed to make the most of the gift. The Three Lions quickly regained possession.
The incident was caused by one of FIFA's newest rule changes.
Jarrell Quansah was guilty of taking too long with a throw
|REUTERS
Teams now have just five seconds to take a throw-in or goal-kick at this World Cup.
The law was introduced earlier this year to crack down on time-wasting.
Referees can begin a visible five-second countdown if they believe a restart is being delayed.
If the ball is not back in play before the countdown ends, possession changes hands.
A delayed throw-in goes to the opposition. A delayed goal-kick results in a corner being awarded.
It was hardly the ideal start for Saka and Quansah, who were both making their first starts of the tournament.
But supporters on social media showed little sympathy.
One furious fan posted: "Foul throw-in at the World Cup by England. Embarrassing."
The first half did little to improve the mood.
England went into the break locked at 0-0 after a flat and uninspiring opening 45 minutes.
Roy Keane was far from impressed.
Speaking on ITV, the former Manchester United captain said: "England seem to have been dragged down to their level. Their top players haven't turned up. It's like watching Scotland – lacking quality."
Gary Neville was equally critical.
"We lack subtlety, creativity and innovation," he said.
"The players in the wide areas, the final part of their game has been really poor.
"We are struggling badly to break them down. He may have to bring on two strikers and do something different."