Kane Double Keeps England Alive as World Cup Tie With Mexico Looms

England scraped through the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday, beating DR Congo 2-1 thanks to a late Harry Kane brace. It was the kind of performance that keeps fans anxious rather than excited, but a win is a win — and England are into the last 16.

How It Played Out

Things went wrong almost immediately. DR Congo's Brian Cipenga punished some sloppy defensive positioning to beat Jordan Pickford at the near post just seven minutes in — a goal that had no business going in at this level. England then spent the better part of an hour knocking at the door without breaking through, with goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi making several sharp saves to keep things level.

Kane eventually settled it. He headed in a cross from substitute Anthony Gordon with around 15 minutes left, then fired a composed winner into the roof of the net in the 86th minute. Two goals, job done — even if it took far longer than it should have.

Kane Moves Past Pelé

The double pushed Kane to 13 World Cup goals across his career, putting him ahead of Brazilian icon Pelé on the all-time list. That's a genuinely significant milestone, and it's the kind of stat that puts his tournament legacy in proper historical context. Kane was also denied what looked like a clear penalty earlier in the game — a decision that could easily have changed the afternoon's dynamic.

According to Sky Sports, manager Thomas Tuchel was measured but positive after the final whistle, noting that Kane is exactly the kind of player who steps up in tight moments: "Difficult matches, close matches — Harry's here to decide them."

The Concerns Tuchel Can't Ignore

The result is good. The performance raises questions. The opener came from a defensive mix-up involving Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi, which pulled Djed Spence out of position and left Pickford exposed. Noni Madueke didn't track back. DR Congo found gaps in midfield despite Declan Rice starting in the centre. These aren't minor details — they're patterns that better teams will exploit.

Spence had a rough afternoon overall, and Tuchel now has a genuine right-back problem to solve before the Mexico game. There's also a question of whether Rice can hold the midfield together if he's being asked to cover elsewhere. England have the attackers to cause problems, but the structure behind them needs to be more reliable.

Kane's late heroics will tend to overshadow those issues in the short term — similar to how IShowSpeed broke down in tears as Ronaldo scored at the World Cup, moments of individual brilliance have a way of dominating the narrative regardless of what's happening around them.

What's Next

England face co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in the last 16, kicking off at 1am BST on Monday. Playing at the Azteca, in front of a partisan crowd at altitude, will be a significantly harder test than a disciplined but limited DR Congo side. The crowd factor alone will make it a different kind of game.

It's worth noting the World Cup has already delivered some unpredictable moments — Ibai Llanos hailed what he called an 'Ecuadorian miracle' earlier in the tournament, a reminder that upsets are very much on the table at this stage. England will need to be sharper if they want to avoid becoming someone else's story.

Kane also touched on the mental side of tournament football after the match, noting that England players need to be better at enjoying the wins when they come — something that resonates in a broader sports context, not unlike Dream stepping back from streaming to focus on mental health, a reminder that the pressure of performing publicly takes a real toll. For now, England's World Cup is still alive. How long it stays that way depends on whether Tuchel can fix what Thursday exposed.