England 2-1 DR Congo: Kane Rescues Three Lions from Major World Cup Upset

By Charles Maduka

England came from behind to avoid a shock World Cup exit as Harry Kane scored twice to inspire a 2-1 victory over DR Congo in the Round of 32.

The Three Lions looked set for one of the biggest disappointments in their history after Brian Cipenga gave DR Congo the lead in the seventh minute.

Lionel Mpasi produced a series of outstanding saves to protect his side’s advantage until the 75th minute, when Kane finally beat the DR Congo goalkeeper with a powerful header from Anthony Gordon’s cross.

The pair combined again four minutes from time, with Gordon setting up Kane, who fired an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to send England through to a Round of 16 clash with co-hosts Mexico.

England fell behind after Chancel Mbemba’s long pass found Cipenga completely unmarked on the left side of the penalty area, and Jordan Pickford was unable to stop his effort from slipping inside the near post.

The Three Lions struggled to settle into the match and were booed by their fans during the first hydration break before creating their first chance, as Ezri Konsa diverted Declan Rice’s free-kick just wide of goal.

Rice’s next delivery found Jude Bellingham, whose powerful header was brilliantly saved by Mpasi, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka made a superb goal-line clearance to deny Marcus Rashford what looked like a certain equaliser.

DR Congo then missed a huge opportunity to extend their lead when Yoane Wissa struck the post from Wan-Bissaka’s cross. At the other end, Mpasi made two more excellent saves to deny Bellingham and Kane, while England’s captain also saw his penalty appeal rejected after attempting to round the goalkeeper.

England continued to press after the break, with Rashford hitting the side netting and Mpasi producing another fine save to keep out a deflected Bellingham effort. However, Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions changed the game as Anthony Gordon delivered a perfect cross for Kane, whose header found the bottom-left corner despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.

The game became more open after England’s equaliser, and after Bellingham was denied once again by Mpasi, Gordon kept the attack alive before finding Kane, who blasted the winner from just inside the penalty area.

England survived one final scare in stoppage time after Bellingham conceded a free-kick in a dangerous position, but Wissa’s effort drifted harmlessly over the crossbar to secure victory for the Three Lions.

Kane surpasses Pele with match-winning display

England entered the match unbeaten in their 11 competitive games under Thomas Tuchel, having won 10 and drawn one, while DR Congo, ranked 46th in the world before the tournament, were playing in their first-ever World Cup knockout match.

However, England made a poor start, failing to register a shot or even a touch inside the DR Congo penalty area before the first hydration break. Djed Spence was left marking two players at the far post, allowing Cipenga the space to score his first international goal.

Before this match, England had never won a World Cup game after trailing at halftime, having lost seven and drawn two of their previous matches in that situation.

That unwanted record finally came to an end thanks to the outstanding performances of Kane and Gordon.

Kane’s two goals took his World Cup tally to 13, moving him ahead of Pele’s 12 on the all-time scoring list. Only Lionel Messi (19), Kylian Mbappe (18), Miroslav Klose (16), Ronaldo Nazario (15) and Gerd Muller (14) have scored more goals in the competition.

The 32-year-old striker has now scored five goals at this year’s tournament and has recorded 16 goal involvements in World Cup history. Since making his World Cup debut in 2018, only Mbappe (22) and Messi (19) have registered more goal contributions.

Meanwhile, Gordon became the first England player to record more than one goal involvement as a substitute in a World Cup match, strengthening his case for a place in the starting line-up against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.