For more than an hour, one of the World Cup's smaller nations had one of its giants on the ropes. In the end, the tournament's most prolific scorer settled it.
An early shock
The Democratic Republic of Congo stunned England in the seventh minute, when Brian Cipenga finished to put the underdogs ahead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, ESPN reported. England, among the pre-tournament favorites, looked rattled, failing to register a shot on target for the opening half-hour — their longest such drought in a World Cup match since 1996, according to ESPN. Congo nearly doubled the lead when Yoane Wissa struck the post.
A disputed call
The turning point that wasn't came just before halftime, when Kane was brought down by Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and the referee waved away England's penalty appeals, with the video review declining to intervene. A former English referee analyzing the match for ESPN said it should have been a spot kick, arguing the keeper "made no contact on the ball," in ESPN's review. Congo, who had defended heroically behind an inspired Mpasi, took their one-goal lead into the break.
Kane, twice
England finally broke through in the 75th minute, when Kane rose to head home a cross from substitute Anthony Gordon. It was his equalizer — and a milestone, drawing him level with Pelé on the World Cup's career scoring list. Eleven minutes later Kane struck again, finishing from the edge of the box to complete the comeback and, with his 13th career World Cup goal, move past Pelé into the record books. Four minutes of stoppage time brought no reply, and England advanced to the round of 16.
Gallant in defeat
For Congo, it was a narrow, painful loss in a match they had led for 68 minutes and, but for a post and a contested non-penalty, might have won. Their goalkeeper was arguably the best player on the field, and their defense frustrated one of the tournament's heavyweights deep into the night. England move on; Congo go out having pushed a favorite to the brink — and having reminded a global audience why the World Cup's smaller sides are so often its most compelling.
