How England and Harry Kane were forced to dig deep by D.R. Congo in the Round of 32

The Three Lions had a 100% record against African sides in World Cup knockout games, though 50% of Thomas Tuchel's games that England didn't win had come against teams from the continent.

Cipenga fires D.R. Congo into a shock lead

Both teams began on the front foot, with the Congolese having 73.8% possession in the opening exchanges.

A further lack of concentration at the back by the favourites left Brian Cipenga all alone at the back post, and the striker didn't need asking twice before he buried the chance, beating Jordan Pickford at his near post.

England's issues at right-back were known before the start of the match. Tino Livramento had been ruled out of the tournament before both Reece James and Jarell Quansah were injured.

That left Tuchel with little option other than to put Djed Spence in there, and he was nowhere to be seen when Cipenga shocked the majority of the Atlanta Stadium.

History against England

Given that the Congolese had only conceded more than one goal on a solitary occasion in the 57 games that Sebastien Desabre had managed, England clearly had their work cut out.

Despite still having seven players with a 100% pass completion after 15 minutes, England weren't really making too many inroads, and the low block that D.R. Congo had clearly decided upon after taking the lead was already causing frustration. Jude Bellingham's subsequent yellow card was clearly a result of that.

The entire Congolese back four hadn't been troubled to the point where none had needed to make a tackle before the first hydration break, and the sloppiness from the England side saw them heavily booed as they trudged towards Tuchel for a quick pep talk.

Spence's brilliant run down the right channel saw him upended by Noah Sadiki, but it was the first really purposeful moment from any England player. The subsequent free-kick almost brought an equaliser, with the ball bouncing off  Ezri Konsa's knee to safety.

Mpasi in inspired form

Lionel Mpasi then pulled off a great save from Bellingham's header, the Three Lions' first attempt on target, and whatever Tuchel had said, the energy and accuracy from the England players were in marked contrast to what they'd displayed prior to the hydration break.

The Congolese were still seeing the lion's share of the ball, though with their collective accuracy dipping slightly, it afforded England more possibilities to move the ball around and open up the passing lanes.

Although Cipenga was lively and causing problems, the output from Chancel Mbemba deserved the plaudits. One successful dribble, two successful headed duels and three successful ground one-on-ones in the opening 35 minutes helped to keep the opponents at bay.

Marcus Rashford's effort being cleared off the line by former Man Utd teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the closest England had come to getting on the scoreboard, and yet it was the Congolese that almost made it two when Yoane Wissa hit the post following Wan-Bissaka's cross.

Tuchel's anger after Kane 'dive'

Harry Kane, who'd been quiet for much of the game, believed he'd won a penalty straight after, but to his disbelief and the anger of Tuchel and the England bench, the official ruled that Kane had dived.

If the Three Lions were going to get any joy, then they needed to get Noni Madueke into the game.

The Arsenal man had Arthur Masuaku on toast every time they contested a one-on-one, and nine total duels were mostly against the former West Ham man.

Madueke's fifth cross of the match, more than any other player, found Bellingham centrally, though Mpasi was equal to the midfielder's flying header once more, and he pulled off an even better stop from Kane's first-half stoppage-time volley.

Industrious midfield performance from Anderson

England did take the initiative from the whistle, and though Rashford's purposeful run took him clear of the Congolese defence, he could only find the side netting with his shot.

One of two off-target efforts for the winger; even when his teammates found the target, as Bellingham did with a deflected shot shortly after, they found Mpasi in inspired form, with his one-handed save one of the stops of the tournament.

Elliot Anderson couldn't be faulted for his industry in midfield, winning eight of his nine one-on-ones and five of his six aerial duels, but he was being let down by the defenders behind him, who appeared nervous every time D.R. Congo pushed forward.

As the hour approached, the English back four had, incredibly, still not completed a tackle, with Nico O'Reilly's two interceptions the best they could manage.

The disconnect between front and back was startling to see, as the Congolese began to find their groove again. 

Subs changed the game for England

Ngal'ayel Mukau's 100% completion and the 93.3% from Samuel Moutoussamy were a big reason why the Three Lions' interplay was still disjointed for long periods, so Tuchel's response to bring on Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka for Rashford and Madueke was in direct response to that loss of control.

Just the one attempt on target for D.R. Congo - the goal - was still the difference with 17' to play, but when England needed him, Kane delivered, heading the team's fifth on-target effort past a despairing Mpasi after connecting with Gordon's floated cross.

The goal re-energised the Three Lions, with Gordon heavily involved in almost every attack, and England collectively enjoying 75% of the ball over a 15-minute period. 

To D.R. Congo's credit, they continued to get forward themselves, and by leaving one man up front, they remained dangerous on the break.

Kane hammers England into the last 16

It took another sensational finish from Kane to knock the stuffing out of the African side, as he hammered home with five minutes to play, after Mpasi had again kept Bellingham out.

Given how poor England had been for large parts, it's worth pondering whether Kane's 13th World Cup goal is his most important to date.

It's the one which took the Three Lions into what's likely to be their toughest test of the tournament - a Round of 16 tie against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, and one thing is clear: England will have to play at a much higher tempo and with more accuracy and purpose than they showed in this game if they want to set up a quarter-final against either Brazil or Norway.

D.R. Congo can at least head home with their heads held high, and the knowledge that they almost pulled off one of the greatest ever World Cup shocks.

Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.