England face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta in the round of 32 and were in the throes of World Cup humiliation for much of the afternoon, but thankfully Harry Kane stepped up and showed his brilliance.
Harry Kane salutes England supporters at full time (Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
There is never any doubt. He’s different from Harry Kane on the pitch.
Captain Marvel once again saves England from the depths of despair and humiliation.
The comeback was incredible as Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to save England from suffering their worst World Cup defeat. At the end, he played “It’s Coming Home” to relieved England fans and players at the stadium.
England was shabby, sloppy and wasteful. The Democratic Republic of Congo made them fear for their lives. But then Kane stepped up. It was really great.
After the final whistle, Kane gathered all the players on the pitch and encouraged his team. In my words, it’s going to take some guts to win the Aztecs vs. Mexico game in Mexico City. If the Democratic Republic of the Congo can expose their defense like this, imagine what the co-hosts, with their formidable home record, can do.
This was very frightening as they had a very long trail and were very loose in defense. But after the Three Lions, they faced Wonderwall and England’s players lined up in front of the fans and returned to their dreams of glory.
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This is probably the entirety of Thomas Tuchel’s knockout record. They had a 74% winning percentage before kickoff, but were in serious jeopardy. But in the end England got the job done. And they’re going to have to make serious improvements from here.
Jed Spence has been exposed. Jordan Pickford was hit at the near post. Center halves Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa looked like strangers at times.
DR Congo keeper Lionel Mpathi played the biggest game of his life, but the referee ruled out a clear penalty against Kane and England. It didn’t seem like it was their day. They were running out of ideas and hope, but Kane scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season. He was as bad as anyone, but then he got better.
When Anthony Gordon came off the bench and provided two assists and Declan Rice came in at right-back, England suddenly had a boost and a renewed belief.
Harry Kane speaks at the England post-match team gathering (Image: Getty)
They did it – and the relief was huge. They looked very much in danger after Prime Minister Mbemba’s diagonal deep ball not only caught Brian Shipenga but also exposed the complete disarray of England’s defence.
No one picked up Shipenga’s low shot as it passed Jordan Pickford at the near post. England’s keeper has been in a slump at the World Cup. Yohan Wissa almost scored the second goal, but his shot hit the post for the Democratic Republic of Congo. This wasn’t in the script.
England fought back but were thwarted three times by Jude Bellingham with super saves and Kane was tipped over by Mpathi which was ruled out by the referee and a VAR check.
It was a very obvious penalty, but it failed to convince the officials and suddenly it seemed like this was not England’s day. This felt like the Icelandic shades were back again.
Tuchel introduced Gordon, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, all of whom played a role in increasing the pressure.
The match was progressing smoothly, but England found a way out. After 75 minutes, the score was tied. Rice did his part and Gordon crossed to the far post, which Kane headed home. I was really relieved.
England’s Harry Kane celebrates full time
Then, 86 minutes later, Bellingham, who never stopped trying or running, had a shot saved but not cleared, and Gordon passed the ball back to Kane, who smashed a shot across goal.
England managed to close out the game, but I can only hope they improve from here. They looked worryingly tired at times, being a million miles away from a potential winner.
But the turnaround and recovery was complete. What a huge failure. But if they played like this in Mexico, they would be eliminated. There are no two ways about it. But they are still fighting there.
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