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England had to grind its way into the World Cup round of 16 — and it was far from a smooth ride. The performance was neither polished nor exciting. DR Congo will feel hard done by as they head home. But England has advanced past the opening knockout stage — largely thanks to Harry Kane.
Argentina has Lionel Messi. France has Kylian Mbappé. England has Kane. He operates at that same elite level.
England found itself behind for much of Wednesday's round of 32 clash in Atlanta, conceding early to a goal from DR Congo winger Brian Cipenga. From that point, the pressure was on England to turn things around and take the lead, or risk suffering one of its most embarrassing tournament exits ever.
DR Congo looked to compress the space available to England's attack, having watched Thomas Tuchel's side struggle against deep defensive setups earlier in the competition. Yet they still posed a threat going forward, with Yoane Wissa rattling the post before the break.
England was far too lethargic before the first hydration break, rarely troubling the opposition. Things began to improve in the closing stages of the first half, but England still found themselves trailing to Cipenga's early strike when the second water break arrived with just a quarter of the match remaining.
Match Momentum
Kane … Better Than Pelé?
Kane hadn't been at his sharpest. He attempted to win a penalty in the first half, contorting his body to draw contact from goalkeeper Mpasi-Nzau inside the box, hoping the referee would call a foul. The official saw it differently and awarded a free kick to Mpasi-Nzau instead.
The Bayern Munich forward had contributed little else until forcing a save from Mpasi-Nzau deep in first-half stoppage time. But elite players never stop believing, and his next effort — roughly 30 minutes later on the clock — brought the equalizer. The one after that, 11 minutes on, sealed the win.
The first goal was a composed header that a player of Kane's caliber would be expected to finish, following a delivery into the box from Anthony Gordon. The second also came via a Gordon assist, though the new Barcelona winger did relatively little of the heavy lifting. Kane created the shooting opportunity himself by maneuvering the ball into position before firing a strike past Mpasi-Nzau that gave the keeper no chance.
Earlier in the tournament, Kane overtook Gary Lineker as England's all-time top scorer at World Cups. He now boasts 13 World Cup goals in total — one more than Brazilian legend Pelé. He has also re-entered the Golden Boot race, tied on five goals with Erling Haaland, and just one behind Messi and Mbappé, who both have six.
Depending on individual brilliance isn't a viable long-term strategy over a full club season, but the World Cup is a different beast entirely. England clearly has problems to address in terms of intensity, energy, and creativity, but as long as Kane is on the pitch, they always have a fighting chance.
Match Stats
Rice at Right Back Should Continue
England lacked imagination and quality in wide areas. Playing through the center of the pitch was nearly impossible, and starting wingers Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford too often failed to find their targets with wayward deliveries — they combined for just three accurate crosses from 14 attempts. Neither was still on the field at the final whistle.
When Tuchel sought an additional creative outlet, he withdrew stand-in right back Djed Spence to bring on Eberechi Eze. This resulted in Declan Rice shifting from midfield into the fullback position, a role he has occasionally filled for Arsenal as well.
The reality is this: Rice is a world-class central midfielder, but he's also a capable right back. With Tino Livramento withdrawing before the tournament and Reece James managing his own injury, England lacks a natural option in that position — Spence is primarily a left back.
Pulling Rice from midfield comes with obvious trade-offs, but England has yet to deploy Kobbie Mainoo, who was instrumental in the team's run to the Euro 2024 final two summers ago. The Manchester United midfielder has the ability to dictate play from the center and possesses a skillset as a creative No. 6 that could work well alongside Elliot Anderson in the more dynamic No. 8 role.
How the Teams Lined Up
Match Summary
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