England had already begun looking ahead to a possible last-16 meeting with Mexico, but that felt premature within the opening 10 minutes when Chancel Mbemba’s raking pass found Brian Cipenga in space. The winger cut inside and beat Jordan Pickford at his near post, handing DR Congo a shock lead in their first-ever World Cup knockout appearance.
The Three Lions barely responded at first. Declan Rice whipped in a delivery that ricocheted off Ezri Konsa and drifted just wide, offering a glimpse of fortune that never fully arrived. The hydration break gave Thomas Tuchel time to reset his side, and England improved sharply after the restart.
Noni Madueke reached the byline and cut the ball back for Marcus Rashford, whose low strike was cleared off the line by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Yoane Wissa then nearly put the game beyond England when he crashed a close-range effort against the outside of the post.
Before the interval, England were denied twice. Harry Kane felt he had been brought down in the area by Lionel Mpasi, but neither the referee nor VAR agreed. Moments later, Kane’s thunderous volley at the far post was pushed away by the DR Congo goalkeeper.
Rashford wasted another clear opening early in the second half, hammering a left-footed shot into the side netting. England’s pressure was not constant, yet their captain delivered when it mattered most. With 15 minutes remaining, Kane steered Anthony Gordon’s cross back across goal and into the far corner to level the tie.
The winner arrived in the 86th minute. Jude Bellingham was initially denied before Kane unleashed a fierce strike from the edge of the area into the roof of the net. It was enough to send England, FIFA’s fourth-ranked side, into the knockout round.
Next up is a daunting last-16 clash with Mexico at the Azteca. For DR Congo, a memorable World Cup run ends with defeat in their debut knockout fixture. Declan Rice’s control and distribution under pressure stood out as England’s most influential performance on a night that demanded patience and belief.
