England beat DR Congo 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday to reach the World Cup 2026 Round of 16. Harry Kane scored twice in the second half after Brian Cipenga had given the African side a seventh-minute lead in front of 68,239 fans.
Cipenga finished from a Chancel Mbemba pass to put DR Congo ahead early, and England spent most of the first half chasing an equalizer. Kane appealed for a penalty after an incident at the 44-minute mark, but VAR confirmed no spot kick. Gareth Southgate's side entered the break trailing 0-1 despite creating five clear chances.
The momentum shifted after the restart. Southgate introduced Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka for Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke on the hour, and the changes unlocked the game. Kane tucked in Gordon's cross from the left in the 75th minute, then struck again from the same combination in the 86th minute to complete the turnaround.
DR Congo pushed for a late equalizer through added time, but England's back line held firm and the offside flag cut short several desperate attempts. Referee Adham Mohammad booked Jude Bellingham and Noah Sadiki with one yellow card apiece.
The numbers backed England's control. Southgate's side finished with 60% possession, outshot DR Congo 16-7, and put seven efforts on target to two. Thirteen of England's attempts came from inside the box, and they registered 40 penalty-area touches to DR Congo's 12. DR Congo stayed compact and limited crossing accuracy, but England's territorial pressure eventually told when Kane converted two of seven big chances.
No fresh injury concerns were reported after the win. England move on to the Round of 16, while DR Congo's World Cup run ends at the last-32 stage.
