England left it late on the plate against DR Congo in the round of 32 match between the two teams. The English captain had to score a late screamer to take his team past the first knockout round in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
England took on the Democratic Republic of Congo in their round of 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match, which was played in the Atlanta Stadium, was seen as a relatively easy matchup for the 1966 world champions. But the 100 or so minutes on the field showed that it was not the case.
England vs Congo: England Squeezes Past DR Congo In Round Of 32
DRC started quick. It seemed that the African nation was determined to score a quick goal. And that happened. As in just the seventh minute of the game, left-wing attacker Brian Cipenga took a shot from a sharp angle on the English goal. He struck the ball towards the near post from a steep angle, rocketing the ball past Jordan Pickford and into the England goal as Congo took a 1-0 lead within the first 10 minutes.
This early setback left the Three Lions in search of a quick retort. They created multiple decent chances over the next 15 minutes or so, only to be denied by either poor execution, a strong defensive line from Congo, or some solid saves by goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
And despite multiple shots on the goal, England failed to score a goal in the first half, as we went into the break with DR Congo in a 1-0 lead. It seemed like yet another upset was in the books in the still young knockout phase of this competition.
The second half started with the English still on the attack. But Mpasi and the rest of the Congo defense were having the game of their lives, shutting everything down with authority.
The tide shifted in the 60th minute when, staring down the barrel at an upset loss, England manager Thomas Tuchel made two crucial changes, taking out the two attacking wingers Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford and substituting them for Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon.
It took less than 15 minutes for these changes to impact the game. In the 75th minute, England was hounding the Congo’s box. The ball was sent from one side of the box by Declan Rice to the other and into the feet of Gordon. The new Barcelona signing lofted the ball towards the middle and found his captain, Harry Kane.
The veteran striker headed the ball into the net, giving his team the goal they had been seeking for over an hour. 1-1.
It was all England from this point on. And then, in the 86th minute, Jude Bellingham took a fierce shot at goal, which was deflected by Congo’s Mpasi. The ball went out of the box and into the feet of Anthony Gordon.
But rather than take a hasty shot, Gordon manoeuvred the ball into a decent position and then passed it to Kane at the edge of the box. The Bayern Munich striker, without even taking a look at the goal, fired it past the defender and the goalkeeper as the ball bulleted into the net, 2-1 England.
And this is how the game ended, with England defeating a heartbroken DR Congo with two late goals by the skipper, Harry Kane.
Congo performed well in their first World Cup appearance under this name and second overall. Meanwhile, England now looks forward to a tough round of 16 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against co-host Mexico, which will be played in Mexico City.
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