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It was a tough watch for England fans but thanks to the heroics of Harry Kane the Three Lions are through to the World Cup round of 16 after coming back from a goal down to beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 in Atlanta.
An all-time shock was on the cards when the underdogs took the lead after just seven minutes through Brian Cipenga. However, skipper Kane stepped up with two late goals as England set up a last-16 tie against co-hosts Mexico.
Bayern Munich striker Kane equalised on 75 minutes when he headed in Anthony Gordon’s cross. Eleven minutes later, he then scored a wonderful winner with a powerful shot into the top corner.
“It was just about pounding the rock, keep pounding the rock and our moment would come,” said Kane after the game. “We spoke about people having hero moments. It can be anyone in the team. Whoever it is, we have hero moments, and for me it was the day.”
Despite a real scare against the African nation, England head coach Thomas Tuchel praised his team for the way they “kept believing”, even though they had the worst possible start.
“First shot, first goal,” Tuchel said. “Then, it became even more difficult. After the first water break, we were on top of the game. I think we should have had a penalty. The substitutes came on, and put the effort in, and we won it. Well deserved, but we had to work a lot.”
‘Some rescue act’ from Kane
Kane took his total to five goals at this year’s World Cup and extended his record as England’s leading scorer in tournament history to 13. He now has 84 goals for the Three Lions in total.
The skipper’s second goal was “incredible”, said former England striker Wayne Rooney on the BBC. “He is such a top player. We see all the best players perform at this World Cup. He is England’s superstar and he is the hero for us. The main thing in knockout football is you get through.”
It was “some rescue act”, said David Hytner in The Guardian. As Tuchel’s team “flirted aggressively with disaster”, Kane decided that “enough was enough”. Hytner added: “The England captain was not ready to go home, to be buried under an avalanche of awful headlines. He kept the faith.”
A mouthwatering tie now awaits England in the next knockout stage: a round of 16 clash against Mexico at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at 2 am (CEST) on Monday.
“Ready to do it all over again?” asked Sam Blitz on Sky Sports. “It’s a huge banana skin clash.”