Kane leads England into round of 16 with brace – 2:1 against DR Congo

The English needed several minutes to settle into the game. England didn't register their first shot until half an hour in. In the 28th minute, Declan Rice curled a free kick into the danger zone, but the ball was blocked.

In the 30th minute, Jude Bellingham forced the Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi into a brilliant save with a header. Shortly after, Bellingham headed from a corner by Declan Rice, but Mpasi was there again. In the 35th minute, Marcus Rashford had a great chance to equalize, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared off the line for Congo – the England-born defender was once a teammate of Rashford's at Manchester United.

Wissa hits only the post

After the break, England pushed for the equalizer but repeatedly failed against the outstanding Mpasi. In the 42nd minute, it almost stood 2:0 for Congo when Yoane Wissa, following a slightly deflected cross from Wan-Bissaka, hit only the post from five meters out. The Newcastle striker had already been a constant nuisance in the first half.

After halftime, Mpasi remained the dominant force. In the 51st and 52nd minutes, a shot from Marcus Rashford narrowly missed the outside of the net, before a deflected attempt by Bellingham in the 53rd minute was cleared jointly by Mpasi and his captain Mbemba. The Le Havre goalkeeper became the best player on the pitch in this phase.

Double chance Rashford and Bellingham

In the 60th minute, Tuchel reacted, bringing on Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon as two fresh attacking players. In the 70th minute, Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze also came on. The substitutions brought new momentum, and the favorites were rewarded shortly after.

In the 75th minute, Kane powerfully headed a cross from the substituted Anthony Gordon into the net for the equalizer. It was Kane's 13th World Cup goal – a record for England. The assist came from Gordon, who kept his composure after a cross from Declan Rice and played it precisely into the middle.

In the 44th minute, Kane had already called for a penalty when he went down in the box. Referee Adham Makhadmeh from Jordan ruled against the English after VAR review, however. Jürgen Klopp, who was working as an expert for MagentaTV, analyzed the scene: „Kontakt ist auf jeden Fall da, das steht völlig außer Frage. Der Schiri hat angezeigt, er wäre gesprungen, das kann ich auch aus der Schiedsrichterperspektive nachvollziehen."

Kane's header for the equalizer

The decision came in the 86th minute. 11 minutes later he added one with his foot as well. Played in at the edge of the box with his back to goal, Kane cleverly turned toward goal. Two, three steps later he had shaken off his opponents and fired into the top corner for the 2:1. Again, Gordon was the provider, who had previously failed to stop a chance by Bellingham and won the ball.

The decisive moment

Congo, who had qualified for the knockout round for the first time as one of the eight best third-placed teams, fought with all their might but could not prevent the defeat. Particularly disappointing for the underdog was that Wissa had squandered a great chance to put the game to bed in the 42nd minute. Cards were shown to Bellingham and Noah Sadiki.

England faces round-of-16 opponent host Mexico, who are confirmed as co-hosts of the tournament and have won all four matches so far without conceding a goal. Kickoff is on Monday at 2:00 AM CEST at the Mexico City Stadium – an unusual kickoff time for European viewers. The match takes place on 7/6 at 02:00 Swiss time at the Mexico City Stadium.

Next opponent: Mexico

Tuchel had emphasized before the match that he was prepared for all scenarios: „Selbst auf ein Elfmeterschießen." Against Congo, England did not need the nerve-wracking affair – even though the win was closer than the squad value of €136 million versus €14.39 million might suggest. The "Three Lions" of Thomas Tuchel are nevertheless through to the quarterfinals and have cleared the next hurdle.

They reached 4th place back in 2018; in 2022 they fell in the quarterfinals to defending champion France. England became world champions in 1966 – and despite having participated in the tournament 17 times, they have not managed it since. With the 2:1 victory, the squad around coach Thomas Tuchel has at least achieved this stage.