Harry Kane once again showed why he is one of the greatest strikers in world football with an incredible late comeback that helped England to a 2-1 victory over Democratic Republic of the Congo in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 on Wednesday (July 1).
Such a big victory made sure England would get to the Round of 16 and Kane was not only England’s first player in goals. The Bayern Munich striker became the first England player to score five or more goals at a World Cup in multiple editions and has cemented his position as one of the country’s greatest football players.
The knockout match in Atlanta was a shocker when DR Congo had the European giants leading in the seventh minute of the game. It was a goal that took England by surprise and gave the African nation a dream start against one of the tournament favourites.
From that point on, DR Congo defended with great discipline and hard work. DR Congo defenders kept England’s attack in check for more than an hour, blocking crosses, winning vital tackles and denying Kane and his team clear chances to score goals. The underdogs were looking like they were on the verge of one of the most unlikely upsets of the tournament as time ticked away.
With 15 minutes to go, England needed a moment of brilliance.
Kane did as he has been doing for all his career when his country needed him most. In the 75th minute, the England captain found space inside the penalty area and calmly finished past the goalkeeper to bring the Three Lions level at 1-1, ending DR Congo's stubborn resistance.
The equaliser shifted the momentum completely in England’s favour and DR Congo, who had defended heroically for most of the game, suddenly found themselves under relentless pressure.
Kane delivered the final blow in the 86th minute. The veteran striker timed his run perfectly before scoring his second goal of the night—a huge comeback to send England into the Round of 16 with a 2-1 victory.
His brace took Kane’s score to five in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him the first English footballer to score at least five goals in two World Cup tournaments. He scored six goals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia to win the Golden Boot, and twice at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Kane, already England's all-time leading scorer in men’s international football, keeps on rewriting the record books with every major tournament.
The achievement also puts him in the elite World Cup club. Teófilo Cubillas scored five goals in both the 1970 and 1978 FIFA World Cups for Peru while the German great Miroslav Klose scored five goals in the 2002 and 2006 editions. The same German legend Thomas Müller also scored five goals in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
England’s strong victory sets up a tense Round of 16 match-up with Mexico, who won against Ecuador earlier on Wednesday to be in the next stage.
Kane will go into the next game for the knockout stage of this tournament with a lot of confidence in England because he is the man. If he continues to play well in big games like this one, the Three Lions are on the path to winning the FIFA World Cup, and perhaps they can even win it. Harry Kane is the most reliable match-winner England has ever had when the stakes are high and his final game was a reminder of that.
