England 2-1 DR Congo: Kane's Late Double Completes Comeback and Sets Up Mexico Last-16 Tie

Match Details

• Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026, Round of 32
• Date: 1st July 2026
• Venue: Atlanta Stadium
• Final Score: England 2 - 1 DR Congo
• Goalscorers: Cipenga 7' (DR Congo); Kane 75', 86' (England)

Match Stats & Key Metrics

	England	DR Congo
Score	2	1
Goalscorers	Kane (75, 86)	Cipenga (7)

The Story of the Match

ENGLAND needed a rescue act from Harry Kane to avoid a monumental upset in Atlanta, the captain scoring twice in the final quarter of an hour, the second a rifled 86th-minute winner, to see off a DR Congo side appearing at only their second World Cup finals and give England a Round of 16 date with co-hosts Mexico.

DR Congo announced themselves inside seven minutes when Brian Cipenga capitalised on a nervous start from Thomas Tuchel's side to fire his country into an unlikely lead in their first ever World Cup knockout match. England huffed and puffed for long spells without reward. Marcus Rashford had a goal-bound effort hacked off the line on 35 minutes, and Kane himself was denied what looked a clear penalty just before half time after contact with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who produced a string of outstanding saves to keep his side ahead deep into the second half.

Tuchel turned to his bench to change the picture, introducing Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka just after the hour, and the substitution paid off immediately. Gordon's pace and directness unsettled a tiring DR Congo defence, and it was his cross that Kane met with a header to level matters on 75 minutes. With DR Congo still clinging to hopes of extra time, Kane produced the moment of the match, rifling an unstoppable strike into the net in the 86th minute to complete the turnaround and send England through.

It capped a landmark tournament personally for Kane, whose double took him to 13 World Cup goals, moving him above Pele in the all-time World Cup scoring charts. For DR Congo and the outstanding Mpasi, there was immense credit in a run that took them beyond the group stage for the first time in their history.

England celebrate Harry Kane's dramatic late double against DR Congo in Atlanta. Photo: Steph Chambers - FIFA, via Getty Images

Player Ratings (FotMob)

Player	Rating
Jordan Pickford	6.2
Djed Spence	6.8
Ezri Konsa	7.1
Marc Guehi	7.3
Nico O'Reilly	7.1
Elliot Anderson	8.0
Declan Rice	7.2
Noni Madueke	7.7
Jude Bellingham	7.1
Marcus Rashford	7.2
Harry Kane	8.9
Bukayo Saka (sub 61')	6.7
Anthony Gordon (sub 61')	8.1
Eberechi Eze (sub 71')	6.4

Author's Standout Players

• Harry Kane (England) - Rescued England with two late goals, a header and a rifled winner, taking his World Cup tally to 13 and moving above Pele on the all-time list.
• Anthony Gordon (England) - Transformed the game after coming on for Rashford, setting up Kane's equaliser with a driving run and cross.
• Lionel Mpasi (DR Congo) - An outstanding goalkeeping display, denying England time and again before finally being beaten twice in the closing stages.
• Brian Cipenga (DR Congo) - His early strike gave DR Congo a lead that lasted deep into the second half of their first ever World Cup knockout tie.

Top photo: England celebrate reaching the Round of 16. Photo: Steph Chambers - FIFA, via Getty Images