Harry Kane saves England from predicament (Image: Getty)
Thomas Tuchel’s England were saved by their all-time top scorer and captain Harry Kane to avoid a humiliating round-of-32 exit to the Democratic Republic of Congo. After a disappointing first half, England made a strong attack late on to turn the game around and book their place in the last 16.
That’s because any talk of England saving their best for the knockouts was thrown out the window just seven minutes into the match, when the African side took the lead. The goal was disastrous for England, with their defense torn apart and right-back Jed Spence finding himself in no-man’s land. The 1966 winners gained momentum as the first half wore on, but should have been 2-0 up when Yoan Ouissa hit the post from six yards to go. Tensions rose when Kane went over after being fouled by goalkeeper Lionel Mpathi, but the referee waved off the protests and agreed with VAR’s findings.
England probably didn’t want the half-time whistle to blow, considering they were knocking on the door. And that was certainly the case in the immediate aftermath of the restart, given that England appeared to be on the back foot. Thanks for the hydration break, huh? Just minutes after the loss midway through the first half, Kane tipped Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross into the goal. The two combined again in the second run, but it was more about Kane’s exquisite movement and thunderous finish. Express Sport has released their player ratings for England vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo.
One of England’s all-time great players, he won’t want to see the Democratic Republic of Congo opener back. This will probably be his last World Cup match as England goalkeeper.
DR Congo looked great in the opening goal (admittedly, it didn’t help the centre-backs), but they subsided as the first half progressed. They were completely anonymous in the second half and had nothing to offer from an offensive standpoint.
There was a huge gap between him and Spence at right-back. It was a pretty bad mistake, but the Aston Villa man bounced back well and (along with partner Marc Guehi) continued to run bravely on the high line.
Like Ezri Konsa, he looked like he missed the opening goal, but he bounced back well and cleared quickly when needed.
The Manchester City man has made back-to-back starts but has so far failed to replicate his performance in the sky blue shirt. They are quiet offensively, but very solid defensively.
Strangely, he looked much better when playing as a lone midfielder. He was overtaken in the game before Declan Rice made the switch to move to right-back.
Set-piece shots were hit and miss, some really threatening the Democratic Republic of Congo’s backline, while others were too easy to defend. He was aiming to play 5/10 in midfield, but with Tuchel moving to right-back, he was able to have more contact with the ball and influence the game.
Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon have teamed up twice (Image: Getty)
One of the few England players who was able to hold his head high after the first half. He came very close to equalizing, but it wasn’t the first time Mpathi’s outstretched palm denied the Real Madrid man. Things started to deteriorate from the beginning of the second half, but that didn’t stop him from running.
Although he was willing to make runs behind the backline, his performance was diabolical. For La Liga champions Barcelona this season, he looked like a shell of a player who at times shone. I shouldn’t have started it.
The England captain was heading for astronomically low ratings until he scored the equalizer late on. It was an anonymous program by the Bayern Munich man, who, as usual, appeared out of nowhere when his country needed him. First, he hit a header into the back of the goal, followed by a truly sensational shot towards the end of the game.
He almost got an assist in the first half, but that was it. He had more touches than any other England attacker before being hooked, but every time he got the ball it was all too similar. Things kept slowing down and trouble started. Wildly, he wasn’t subbed out earlier.
England’s attacking team was crying out for their performance on the ball. Although the Arsenal talisman was not directly involved in the winning goal, his introduction was crucial.
He may have been bitter about being left out of the squad, but he showed everyone when Barcelona opted to spend big on his contract (at the expense of England teammate Marcus Rashford). He is very active in possession and makes good shifts at both ends of the pitch.
He was confident in himself and aggressive in passing.
