England are through to the World Cup Round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. A 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo, courtesy of Harry Kane, means the Three Lions will face co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca.
Although the feeling amongst the players and fans in the ground at the full-time whistle was jubilation, the reality is there was very little to be happy about with that England performance.
Some will say it very nearly just wasn’t England’s night, and that wouldn’t be completely unfair. The baffling penalty shout, Konsa’s ricocheted effort spinning just wide and the heroics of goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. It all looked as though England’s luck was out.
Hearing the stat that England had not won a World Cup knockout match in which they had conceded first since the final in 1966 hardly boosted anyone’s hopes. In fact, it made many begin to contemplate the fact that maybe once again, it still isn’t England’s year.
The sickening irony of Wan-Bissaka’s performance
Former England representative Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a standout player for Sebastien Desabre’s side. He made a goal-line clearance to deny Marcus Rashford an equaliser and crossed a superb ball into Yoane Wissa that almost doubled his nation’s advantage.
There was a sickening irony behind Wan-Bissaka’s performance. In 2019, he was called up for Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of international friendlies against Kosovo and Bulgaria.
The full-back was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a back injury. The rest is history. Wan-Bissaka wasn’t called up again. In 2025, he switched his allegiance to DR Congo in the hopes of featuring in a World Cup.
So, while England faced a full-back crisis, someone who was once one of the most promising English full-backs in the country was putting on an incredible display as a member of the opposition.
It was unfortunate for Wan-Bissaka to be honing his craft at the same time as the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James, but look where those two are now. One has been out injured since the group stages and the other was left at home altogether.
Were England arrogant against DR Congo?
Many questioned the defence ahead of the tournament and it’s clear to see why. It is England’s biggest frailty by some way. Anthony Barry, England’s assistant manager, said at half-time: “We need to keep the back door closed.”
When the match resumed for the start of the second half, BBC commentator Guy Mowbray responded rather wittily. He said: “It’s been ajar all tournament”.
As the minutes ticked on without an England goal, the Atlanta Stadium got quieter and quieter. Before long, there was a deafening silence around the ground. Fans were almost too shocked and embarrassed to boo at all. Frankly, you couldn’t blame them.
Some of the best players on the planet get to put on that famous white shirt, while others are left at home and denied the privilege. And yet, in the Round of 32, a nation that hadn’t participated for 52 years was making England look gutless.
Everyone overlooked DR Congo, with all eyes on the Round of 16 clash against Mexico at the Azteca. No one paused to think that a nation with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson would fail to score. And they almost didn’t.
They were warned too. Portugal were the example in the group stage, held to a 1-1 draw. Ghana taught England that they needed to be more direct; the signs were always there.
For much of the match though, it was too slow, not threatening and showed a real lack of quality. Thankfully, with all the incredible talent in the England squad, one man saved his country when it needed him most.
England’s saviour Harry Edward Kane
When you are down and out, you need players to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and fix it themselves. On Wednesday evening, it was captain Kane.
Anthony Gordon’s floated cross was duly converted to level affairs, before a 94km/h rocket flew past goalkeeper Mpasi just 11 minutes later.
It was a game that saw Kane equal Sir Bobby Moore for appearances as England captain and saw him overtake Pele (12) for most World Cup goals (13).
As if those feats weren’t enough, they came at a time when Tuchel’s side seemed destined for an early flight home.
It wasn’t good enough, and a repeat will certainly be punished up in the mountains against Mexico. But the silver lining is that England have a never-die attitude, and despite the performances, there is always a nagging belief that someone will save the day.
On the night it was Kane doing what he does best: putting the ball in the back of the net. On Sunday night or Monday morning, depending on how you view it, England will have an almighty task on their hands.
The tactics – watch now on YouTube
Written by Isabelle Martin
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