DR Congo lost to England 2-1 in a dramatic match. Leading for almost 70 minutes, the Leopards hoped for a major upset. But then Harry Kane scored twice in the last 15 minutes at Atlanta Stadium. England face Mexico next.
DR Congo lost to England 2-1 in a dramatic match. Leading for almost 70 minutes, the Leopards hoped for a major upset. But then Harry Kane scored twice in the last 15 minutes at Atlanta Stadium. England face Mexico next.
DR Congo led inside seven minutes. Chancel Mbemba flicked the ball on for Brian Cipenga, who slotted a low finish past Jordan Pickford. The African side then defended in numbers and held their advantage for close to 70 minutes.
Harry Kane broke the resistance. He levelled in the 75th minute from an Anthony Gordon assist, then struck the winner with four minutes remaining to send England through and DR Congo home.
DR Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said his players had shown their quality against a far higher-ranked opponent. His side went into the tie ranked 41st in the world against a fourth-ranked England.
"Of course, we're disappointed," said Desabre. "We believed we could do it and I think we played a great match but in the end, one of the best players in the world scored twice."
The 49-year-old framed the exit as a marker of progress. "When you represent the national team you have to leave a good image behind and this I believe we did," he said. "We are more proud than disappointed."
Desabre surprised observers with a four-man defence in a 4-3-3, more attacking than expected. "We wanted to use the width of the field and needed space," he said. "It took the best striker in the world to save them and that's what happens against these big nations."
Thomas Tuchel praised goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, whose saves kept DR Congo in front deep into the second half. "When we were knocking and knocking, the guy was incredible with the kind of saves he made," the England manager said.
Tuchel credited his own players for their persistence. "But also full credit to the mentality and to the belief of my players. We kept believing. The substitutes came on, put the effort in and we won it. It was well deserved. But we had to work a lot."
The result ends a run that reshaped DR Congo's football history. They reached the knockout stage as one of the eight best third-placed teams in the first 48-team World Cup, having drawn 1-1 with Portugal, beaten Uzbekistan and lost to Colombia in Group K.
DR Congo scored five goals across the tournament. It was only their second World Cup appearance, and their first since 1974, when the nation competed as Zaire and conceded 14 goals in three matches without scoring.
Desabre said the experience would shape the future. "They'll have learned a lot from the competition and that's the way football in the DRC will mature," he said. "In the final analysis, we lacked a tiny bit of experience. But we won't panic. We'll learn and continue."
Tuchel's side advance to a last-16 meeting with Mexico on 6 July at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
England went into the tie without injured right-backs Reece James and Jarell Quansah. Djed Spence started in the role and was beaten early for Cipenga's opener before Kane's late intervention settled it.
