England, the birthplace of football, has silenced the surprise run of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In the Round of 32 match held at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA, on July 2, England conceded the opening goal but rallied for a 2-1 comeback victory, powered by a brace from star striker Harry Kane.
England, which has not lifted the World Cup trophy in the 60 years since hosting the tournament in 1966, finished first in Group L (7 points) to reach the knockout stage and has now taken another step toward ending their long title drought.
England will face co-host Mexico in the Round of 16, scheduled for July 6 in Mexico City.
Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo could not overcome England, they left a mark on the tournament in their first World Cup appearance in 52 years, having last competed in 1974 under the name Zaire.
In the group stage, they drew 1-1 against the powerhouse Portugal, led by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, and defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 in their third match to secure their first-ever World Cup victory and a spot in the knockout stage.
While England was expected to win easily on paper, the first goal came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
After the Congolese players patiently moved the ball, Chancel Mbemba delivered a long cross to the front, and Grady Diangana finished with a sharp right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area to find the back of the net.
England, with Kane leading the attack supported by Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham, and Noni Madueke, recorded eight shots in the first half, including four on target, but failed to convert any into goals.
In the 30th minute, Bellingham connected perfectly with a sharp cross from the right flank, but his header was blocked by Democratic Republic of the Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
Mpasi became one of the stars of the first half alongside Diangana, as he continued to deny England, making consecutive saves on a header from Bellingham and a right-footed shot from Kane during a corner kick in first-half stoppage time.
England remained in a difficult position as they struggled to counter, with a left-footed shot from Bellingham in the 53rd minute—following a display of individual skill—also failing to get past the wall of Mpasi. However, captain Kane eventually stepped up.
In the 75th minute, after the second-half cooling break, Anthony Gordon lofted a precise ball from the left side of the penalty area into the center, and Kane headed it home to score the equalizer.
Having finally broken through Mpasi, England turned the game around in the 86th minute with another goal from Kane.
After a shot from Bellingham was saved by Mpasi, Gordon collected the rebound and connected with Kane, who fired a powerful right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area to secure the winning goal.
With his 4th and 5th goals of the tournament, Kane moved within one goal of the joint top scorers, Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Kylian Mbappé (France), who both have 6 goals.
Kane's total career World Cup goal tally has now increased to 13.
Gordon, who was substituted in at the 60th minute, shone as a key figure in the comeback by assisting both of Kane's goals.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)