England beat Democratic Republic of Congo to advance to last 16
Harry Kane was England’s hero against the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Image: Steph Chambers – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
England defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the first knockout stage and will face co-hosts Mexico in the last 16 of the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s side won 2-1 thanks to two goals from Harry Kane.
The Three Lions found themselves staring down a shock defeat when they fell behind in the opening seven minutes thanks to a goal from Brian Shipenga. They might have believed it wasn’t their day in the first half, when their penalty cries were dismissed and Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford’s chances were repeated over and over again in frustration.
It took England until the 75th minute to equalize. Kane headed the ball past Lionel Mpasu to make it 1-1. Kane was once again the hero, scoring a stunning goal with four minutes left on the clock to put England 2-1 up.
The goal was enough for the Three Lions to seal their place in the last 16 of the competition. It was the first time since 1966 that England came from behind to win a World Cup final.
Their next challenge will be early Monday morning against Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium (1am kick-off). The co-hosts defeated Ecuador 2-0 in their Round of 32 match.
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If England win against Mexico, they will face either Brazil or Norway in Saturday’s quarter-final (kick-off 10pm). The potential semi-finals will be against Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, Egypt, Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana on Wednesday, July 15th at 8pm.
The final will take place on Sunday June 19th at 8pm. The match will be played at New Jersey Stadium, New York. After his heroics, Kane spoke to the BBC about his immediate reaction to the win:
“After the first hydration break, I thought the level increased. Their goalie made some great saves. It was about … just keep hitting the rock. Just keep hitting the rock.”
“We talked about how you can have a hero moment. It can happen to any of us. It could be a picker’s (Pickford) save. For me, that was today.”
Harry Kane celebrates with England teammate Morgan Rodgers. (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“When it comes to knockout football, there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of risk. From an attacking point of view, this was probably the best game of the tournament so far. We just have to get through. This game and the next one are difficult for different reasons.”
Meanwhile, Three Lions boss Tuchel said: Tuchel: “We kept believing. We had the worst possible start. First shot, first goal. Then it got harder. After the first water break we were at the top of our game.”
“I think we should have given a penalty. The substitutes came on, they worked hard and we won. Obviously we had to put in a lot of effort.
“If things are getting tough, we have to have that mindset. It’s getting tough, but don’t lose patience, don’t lose faith. His (Lionel Mpathi) save was unbelievable.”
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