There’s still a chance for us to lift the World Cup trophy.
On Wednesday afternoon, England rallied from a 1-0 deficit to secure a 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, moving on to the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup.
Initially, England struggled to regain control after falling behind in the seventh minute. However, as the match progressed, they wore down their Congolese opponents, leading to Harry Kane’s goals in the 75th and 86th minutes.
Kane’s two goals not only brought England back but also elevated him past the legendary Pele with a total of 13 World Cup goals.
Now, he has scored an impressive 20 goals in major international tournaments and holds the record for England with 84 goals in 117 matches.
Unfortunately, England was missing Chelsea left-back Reece James due to a hamstring injury.
Jed Spence stepped in but, ultimately, a more attacking approach saw him replaced by Eberechi Eze.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had previously claimed their first World Cup win against Uzbekistan earlier in the tournament and fought hard this time as well.
Before the match, player Yoann Ouissa expressed his solidarity, stating, “There is a war going on in Eastern Congo. Every day, whenever we wear this shirt, we think of them.”
He continued, “We want peace. So, I just say ‘thank you.’ Thank you, because we came from far away. We came here from nothing, writing our own story with a black pen and we should be proud.”
Brian Shipenga opened the scoring for the African side in the 7th minute with a stunning near-post finish.
Goalkeeper Lionel Mpathi also had a strong performance, managing five saves from seven shots on target.
With this victory, England now prepares for a matchup against hosts Mexico in Mexico City on July 5.
El Tri has been formidable in the tournament thus far, not conceding a single goal and winning their first four matches with a total score of 8-0.
