Kane Strikes Twice as England Knocks Out Congo in World Cup

Harry Kane logged 11 legendary minutes for the Three Lions at the World Cup on Wednesday, and the result was a 2–1 England victory over Congo and a spot in the Round of 16.

Congo had notched an early goal and had poured every effort into protecting the advantage when Kane shook loose for a header in the 75th minute followed by a smash from inside the area in the 86th minute for a brace that capped an epic fightback for the Three Lions.

It was just the second time that England triumphed in a cup knockout match after conceding the opening goal since the 1966 final, in which the Three Lions defeated West Germany 4–2.

“After 20 minutes, I saw that a stronger team, attacked more and more with freedom, and attacked with more and more threat towards their goal,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said in his post-match media availability.

“We created a lot of big chances in the second half of the first half, and after the water break, [we] should have maybe had a penalty on top of that. We didn’t, so we kept the belief and I think even in second half, we kept pushing, pushing, pushing.”

Tuchel said there was no panic in his players, and he didn’t bring any late coaching tactics that impacted the outcome.

“Always the same—no new messages,” Tuchel said about the second hydration break. “We had some substitutes and then the message was always the same, ‘Keep pounding that rock. We have to keep on knocking, knocking, knocking. Keep believing. Keep on doing what we do. Don’t give in.’ We don’t give in. That’s what this team is about.”

England, No. 4 in FIFA’s world rankings, next plays Mexico on Sunday at the joint-host’s Estadio Azteca in a match against a team that has not only yet to lose in four matches at this World Cup but hasn’t even conceded a goal.

The match figures to be a major challenge not only because Mexico is now up to No. 9 in the world but also because the stadium is at a high altitude.

“There will be a lot a lot a lot of obstacles waiting for us,” Tuchel said. “Not to mention the altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days. It’s just impossible.

“And more obstacles may come, but we are ready for that. Maybe we have the ideal platform now to genuinely believe that we are ready for that, and when the going gets tough that we will find the answers.”

Kane, 32, became the top British player in World Cup scoring, sneaking one past Brazil legend Pele’s 12 with his second goal. It was Kane’s fifth strike of this tournament and he’s the all-time leader for England with 84 international goals.

“We had to just kind of grind a win out, and I thought we played some really good stuff after 25 minutes of the game,” Kane said.

“Their keeper made some incredible saves, to be fair to him, and you start to think, ‘Maybe is it just one of those days?’ But, that’s where I’m most proud of the boys and myself as well—just to keep the belief, keep getting the ball into the right areas and one of us will have our hero moment, and thankfully for me, it was today.”

Kane, who has scored five times in four matches, drew the highest praise possible from teammate Anthony Gordon, who compared the England captain to Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.

“It’s amazing to be around him every day because when you’re around someone at the elite level, he’s at the very top of football,” Gordon said in his media availability. “He’s having a season that’s only ever been beat by Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer of all time.

“So that speaks to the level he’s playing at. When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level,” he said. “And it’s no accident, like I said, his consistency every day, how hard he works, every finishing drill, he does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never ever messes about. So, it’s amazing to be around him, and he’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.”

Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi wasn’t messing around, either. He seemed on course for an unlikely clean sheet as the country was eyeing one of the biggest upsets in cup history. Mpasi’s side scored in the 7th minute, Brian Cipenga blasting a shot into the net after some sharp passing helped set him up. Mpasi then had the Three Lions hoping for one miracle, stopping chance after chance and finishing with five saves.

Congo only managed two shots on goal.