Harry Kane struck twice late on as England overturned a deficit against DR Congo, earning a 2-1 World Cup win and a last-16 clash with Mexico, while Thomas Tuchel compared Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland to ruthless sharks after the England captain’s decisive display in the round of 32 tie.
The match also delivered a rare comeback landmark for England, who won a World Cup game after conceding first for only the second time ever, repeating a feat last achieved against Germany in the 1966 final, while Kane’s double came on a record-breaking night for the forward on the biggest stage.
Kane’s brace arrived on his 15th World Cup appearance, and the 32-year-old became the first England player to score twice in a World Cup knockout
match since Gary Lineker hit a double versus Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-finals, extending a dominant personal record in elimination games at major tournaments.
Since Euro 2020, Kane has scored 10 goals in 11 World Cup or European Championship knockout matches, three more than any other European player in that period, with Mbappe on seven, while Kane’s latest goals moved the striker to five for this tournament, one behind Mbappe and Messi and level with second-place Haaland in the Golden Boot standings.
| Player | Tournament goals | Knockout goals since Euro 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | 5 | 10 |
| Kylian Mbappe | 6 | 7 |
| Lionel Messi | 6 | - |
| Erling Haaland | 5 | - |
Tuchel was asked whether a common strength links Kane with Mbappe, Messi and Haaland and responded with a vivid image, saying: "They're all sharks. If they smell blood, they come and score. These big guys in this World Cup, do they watch each other, and then they go like, 'no, not with me', and then I score, and then I do a hat-trick, and then you go, 'what is going on?' I mean, crazy. "
The England head coach then highlighted Kane’s leadership role and technical quality, adding: "[Kane is] so, so good. He's our captain, he's our leader, and decides football matches with unbelievable finishes twice. The second one was just a brilliant goal, and happy that he's [our player]. "
England had earlier fallen behind when Brian Cipenga put DR Congo ahead, giving the underdogs a shock lead and something to protect, yet Kane’s late strikes flipped the contest in Atlanta Stadium, preventing a major upset and ensuring England progressed to the last 16 despite long spells of frustration.
It's what he does. #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/6AuYf8ZhwvFIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 1, 2026
Reflecting on the intensity of the World Cup tie with DR Congo, Tuchel told BBC Sport: "[More stressful] than we'd have liked, but if everyone gets what they like, we'd get an early goal, and another goalthat's not how it is. You have to deal with the situation as it comes. It was difficult because they got a very early goal, but after the first hydration break, we had three, four, five big chances and maybe a penalty situation. We kept knocking. Their goalkeeper made unbelievable saves. The reaction and the belief was one of a kind; we found a way to winwell deserved. "
Tuchel then underlined how England can draw confidence from managing a late turnaround in such a demanding World Cup contest, saying: "We want to make it easy, but if you come back from 1-0 down, and you need the last quarter of a match to bring it back, these are the experiences that give you genuine belief, so you don't need a manager to tell you, because you felt it. Now they felt it, then they had the reward in front of our fans. They are well aware of what they did, what it took, and they're a team that's fully committed and full of belief. "
Despite the defeat, DR Congo restricted England for long spells and allowed only limited clear chances before the closing stages, registering seven shots themselves, including one effort against the woodwork, although the result means eight of the 10 African nations to reach a World Cup knockout round have now lost their first tie at that stage, with just two debut wins.
World Cup England clash and DR Congo response
DR Congo appeared in the World Cup for the first time in 52 years and head coach Sebastien Desabre chose to highlight the overall campaign after the final whistle, stating: "When you represent the national team, you have to leave a good image behind, and this, I believe, we did, said Desabre. We are more proud than disappointed. We are disappointed to be leaving the World Cup, of course, but we scored five goals in the tournament, and played much higher-ranked teams and managed good results. "
Desabre also explained DR Congo’s tactical ideas against England and praised the contribution of Kane while reflecting on the narrow loss, saying: "We wanted to use the width of the field and needed space. We also wanted to close the centre better and cut the road to [Elliot] Anderson, who is important to the English build-up. We managed to corner England, but they reacted, and that is the capacity of these big teams. It took the best striker in the world to save them, and that's what happens against these big nations. We did what we could; we were close to winning, but it can also be seen as a victory of sorts for us. "
England now move on to face Mexico in the last 16 with Kane leading the Golden Boot chase and Tuchel stressing the value of surviving a tense test against DR Congo, while Desabre’s side leave the World Cup encouraged by competitive displays, five goals scored and a performance that pushed a higher-ranked opponent deep into the closing minutes.
