World Cup 2026: Kane double sinks DR Congo to book Mexico tie

Kane's late double flips a scare in Atlanta

England are through to the World Cup 2026 Round of 16, but only after DR Congo made them work for it in the Round of 32. The final score at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta read England 2, DR Congo 1, and it was Harry Kane who did the heavy lifting with two late goals.

For an hour, the favourites looked rattled. DR Congo led early and defended with organisation, and England's superiority was mostly in the numbers rather than on the scoreboard. Then Kane arrived, twice, and the game settled into the shape everyone had expected before kick-off.

The statistics tell the story of control that took time to convert. England held sixty per cent of possession, mustered an expected goals (xG, the quality of chances created) figure of 2.04 against DR Congo's 0.80, and created seven big chances to their opponents' single one. Seven shots on target and thirteen efforts inside the penalty area underline the pressure. DR Congo's Timothy Fayulu — credited with five goalkeeper saves — kept his side in it far longer than the run of play deserved. That the reward for England's dominance was a one-goal margin says plenty about the resistance in front of them.

How Tuchel's England and DR Congo set up

From a 7th-minute jolt to Kane's 86th

The script was torn up inside seven minutes. B. Cipenga struck for DR Congo, finishing off a move started by Chancel Mbemba, and the underdogs had the lead they would cling to for more than an hour. Jude Bellingham was booked on nineteen minutes as England's frustration surfaced, with N. Sadiki following into the referee's book for DR Congo shortly after.

Thomas Tuchel reshuffled just after the hour, sending on Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka in a double change on sixty-one minutes. Gordon proved the decisive move. On seventy-five minutes he teed up Kane for the equaliser, and on eighty-six he did it again, Kane converting a second assist from the same man to turn the tie around. DR Congo threw on fresh legs — Bongonda, both Kayembes, Mayele — but the door had shut. England ran down the clock, John Stones replacing Declan Rice in stoppage time to see it out. A one-man wrecking crew in Kane; a one-man supply line in Gordon.

Colombia's 2-1 call lands the exact scoreline

The futbol.so community had leaned firmly towards England, and the consensus was hard to argue with. The most-picked scoreline was a comfortable England 3-0, and the mood across the various national followings ran in the same direction, with England fans themselves favouring an even heavier margin.

Reality was tighter. The community got the winner right, but not the ease of it. The official forecast, which pointed to an England win as the most likely outcome, actually nailed the exact result at England 2-1 — and so did the Colombian corner of the community, whose most-chosen scoreline matched the final one to the letter. DR Congo's early goal and stubborn defending meant this was closer to that reading than to the routine procession most had imagined.

England move on, and the reward is a Round of 16 date with Mexico on 6 July. On this evidence they will need to start faster and finish sharper, though a striker in Kane's mood tends to solve most problems. DR Congo leave the Round of 32 having troubled one of the tournament favourites for an hour — no small thing on a sweltering, clear afternoon in Atlanta.