England avoided a historic upset with a late comeback against DR Congo at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday to win 2-1 and advance to the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 for the third consecutive tournament.
DR Congo opened the scoring early on a goal from left winger Brian Cipenga. Cipenga was alone on the left side of the penalty box and snuck the ball between the near post and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
DR Congo kept the pressure on and nearly doubled its lead before the halftime break.
England didn’t look much more dangerous coming out of the second half, but it slowly built momentum until Harry Kane finally evened the score for the Three Lions in the 74th minute.
With the match looking destined for extra time, Kane scored again for England 11 minutes later. Harry Kane is the first English player to score twice in a World Cup knockout match since Gary Lineker vs Cameroon in 1990.
England will now move on to the round of 16 to play Mexico on Sunday, July 5 at Mexico City Stadium.
England vs DR Congo Highlights 🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Round of 32
