England goals: Harry Kane (75, 86) Congo DR goals: Brian Cipenga (7)
England survived a major scare as they came from behind to beat Congo DR and reach the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Atlanta.
Thomas Tuchel’s team trailed from the seventh minute, when Brian Cipenga opened the scoring, until the 75th minute when Harry Kane equalised, with the England skipper then blasting a brilliant winner in a dramatic turnaround. England's reward is a Round of 16 meeting with co-hosts Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium on 6 July.
England had lost none of their previous nine World Cup meetings with African opposition and they kept that record intact in Atlanta but only just.
Congo had never played a World Cup knockout game before yet they made a dream start after seven minutes with Cipenga’s first-ever international goal. A crossfield ball from the right was flicked on by Chancel Mbemba to Cipenga who was completely free on the left side of the box to fire in a low shot that beat Jordan Pickford at his near post.
England took time to respond before creating several clear chances. Congo DR goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi saved superbly from two Jude Bellingham headers. In between, Noni Madueke’s run into the box brought a shooting chance for Rashford at the far post only for Aaron Wan Bissaka to clear off the line. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Mbasi blocked Kane’s close-range volley following a corner.
At the other end, Congo might have snatched a second goal when Yoane Wissa turned Wan Bissaka’s low centre against the post.
It took Tuchel’s changes of his wingers to spark the fightback, substitute Anthony Gordon crossing for Kane to head his 12th World Cup finals goal. Number 13 would certainly be lucky for England as Kane turned away from his marker and unleashed an unstoppable shot inside the near post.
For the first time in their history, England won a World Cup match after trailing at half-time. In nine previous instances where they were behind at the break, they had drawn twice and lost seven times.
"We kept believing. We had the worst start possible. First shot, first goal. Then, it became even more difficult. After the first water break, we were on top of the game ... The substitutes came on, and put the effort in, and we won it. Well deserved, but we had to work a lot. We have to have that mindset if it's getting hard, it's getting hard, but don't lose patience and don't lose belief. The guy [goalkeeper Mpasi] was incredible the kind of saves he was making." Thomas Tuchel, England coach
"We’re disappointed because we really believed we could do it. We played well. Towards the end of the match, we conceded two chances and one of the world’s best players scored two goals against us. It’s a shame. We must congratulate the players on their performance. They’ve gained a lot of experience from playing against teams like this. That's how football in the Congo DR is built: we may have lacked a little experience, but that’s the nature of the game. We’re learning, and we’re continuing to improve. We’ll carry on, calmly." Sébastien Desabre, Congo DR coach
Sources: FIFA Official
