In a dramatic turn of events, England secured a 2-1 comeback win against DR Congo, a feat they had not accomplished in a World Cup match after falling behind since their 1966 final victory. The match, held on 1/7 at Atlanta Stadium, saw Brian Cipenga open the scoring for DR Congo in the 7th minute.

Harry Kane (left) celebrates the equalizer with Jude Bellingham during England's 2-1 comeback win against DR Congo in the World Cup round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium on 1/7. Photo: AP

This early goal put England in a familiar, unwelcome position. Since defeating West Germany 4-2 in extra time to win the 1966 World Cup, England had never won another tournament match after conceding first. Over the past 60 years, they had fallen behind 13 times in World Cup matches but failed to complete a comeback. These instances include losses to Brazil in 1970 (0-1), Portugal and Argentina in 1986 (0-1 and 1-2 respectively), a 2-2 draw with Argentina followed by a penalty shootout loss in 1998, a 1-4 defeat to Germany in 2010, identical 1-2 losses to Italy and Uruguay in 2014, and a 1-2 quarter-final loss to France in the 2022 World Cup.

The last time England achieved a comeback victory after conceding first was in the 1966 World Cup final. Helmut Haller had opened the scoring for West Germany in the 12th minute before Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick and Martin Peters added another, leading the hosts to a 4-2 win and their first championship title.

Cipenga's opening goal was also the fifth earliest goal England has conceded in World Cup history, and their earliest since Belgium scored in the 4th minute of the 2018 World Cup third-place play-off.

DR Congo opened the scoring

However, coach Thomas Tuchel's team ultimately secured the win thanks to captain Harry Kane. The striker scored two goals in the final 11 minutes of the match to complete England's 2-1 comeback.

Kane's headed equalizer against DR Congo in the 75th minute was England's 9th headed goal in World Cups since 2018, two more than any other team during the same period.

Kane equalized

This goal was a direct result of England's persistent crossing strategy. Statistics show that England delivered 38 crosses, including corners, before Kane headed the ball past Lionel Mpasi. This marks the "Three Lions'" highest number of crosses in a World Cup match since their 1998 encounter with Tunisia, where they delivered 41 balls from the flanks into the penalty area.

The equalizer also brought Kane's World Cup goal tally to 12, equaling the record of legendary Pele. A few minutes later, he completed his brace with a decisive shot from the edge of the box, becoming the first English player to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990. This goal brought Kane's World Cup tally to 13 goals, placing him behind only five players: Lionel Messi (19), Kylian Mbappe (18), Miroslav Klose (16), Ronaldo Nazario (15), and Gerd Muller (14).

Kane sealed the 2-1 score

Since Euro 2020, Kane has scored 10 goals in the knockout rounds of major tournaments, a record unmatched by any other European player. Mbappe ranks second in this statistic with 7 goals, while other players have scored no more than three.

Kane is also one of two players to score 20 or more goals in World Cup and Euro history, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo (24 goals). This season, the 32-year-old striker has scored 72 goals for Bayern Munich and the England national team. Only Messi has outperformed Kane in a single season, with 82 goals in the 2011-2012 season for Argentina and Barcelona.

Kane has scored 5 goals in the 2026 World Cup and is currently chasing Messi and Mbappe (6 goals each) in the Golden Boot race. Anthony Gordon's two assists in the match also made him the first English player to be involved in two goals after coming on as a substitute in a World Cup match.

England will face Mexico in the quarter-finals at Azteca Stadium. England has played two previous World Cup matches at this venue: a 3-0 victory over Paraguay in the 1970 round of 16, followed by a 1-2 loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals, a match in which Diego Maradona scored two legendary goals. Mexico, by contrast, has never lost a match at Azteca in World Cup history.