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England were on the cusp of one of the biggest World Cup upsets in recent memory — until the heart and soul of the program came up more than clutch.
Trailing for most of the game, Harry Kane scored both of England’s goals in the game’s final 21 minutes to advance to the round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over DR Congo.
Brian Cipenga had given Congo a surprising lead after scoring in just the seventh minute of the game, and its defense kept England at bay all the way through the second-half hydration break.
But then, England’s all-time leading scorer evened the score with a header in the 75th minute on a cross from Anthony Gordon, despite goalie Lionel Mpasi getting a hand on it. Eleven minutes later, Kane scored the decisive goal after evading defenders and letting one rip with his right foot and finding the top-right corner.
The goals were Kane’s 83rd and 84th for England, extending his country’s record, in his 118th match. In World Cup play, he now has 13 goals, surpassing Pelé’s 12, in 16 matches played. He’s found the back of the net five times in four matches in this tournament.
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“It was just about pounding the rock, keep pounding the rock and our moment would come,” Kane said. “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.”
England had previously only ever won one game at the World Cup after conceding the first goal, and that came in the 1966 final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium.
DR Congo entered the game as 12-1 underdogs against a team that has advanced to at least the round of 16 in six of the last seven World Cups. England was knocked out in the quarterfinals in Qatar and finished fourth in 2018 in Russia.
England will now face quite the task, going up against Mexico on its own home soil in Mexico City on Sunday.
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The United States could meet England in the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — but of course, a lot would have to go right.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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