Kane rescues England vs DR Congo; Mexico test awaits
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- Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England against 46th-ranked DR Congo in the World Cup knockout round, after Sebastien Desabre's side caught Thomas Tuchel's team off-guard with a formation switch
- DR Congo deployed a 4-4-2 instead of their usual 5-3-2, using goalkeeper-plus-three central build-up players to outnumber Kane and Bellingham while full-backs held wide and pulled England's wingers out of central areas
- Thomas Tuchel faces two tactical options against Mexico: a compact defensive block, or committing a central midfielder to join Kane and Bellingham in a man-to-man press on opposing centre-backs
- A second-half tactical shift moving Declan Rice to right-back and Jude Bellingham to a left-sided midfield role unlocked England's equalizer, freeing Bellingham to thrive as he did against Panama
- Bukayo Saka drew out DR Congo's full-back on the equalizer, Eberechi Eze's diagonal run pulled a central defender, and Rice filled the space — a telepathic rotation that may now become Plan A
- Mexico have yet to concede in the tournament and use a similar spread-out 4-3-3 build-up with width and rotations, posing a stiffer test at Azteca Stadium
Why it matters: Tuchel now faces unbeaten Mexico — a side mirroring DR Congo's build-up threats — at altitude in Azteca Stadium, with the mid-game discovery of the Rice-at-right-back, Bellingham-left-midfield combination offering his first credible tactical fix before the last 16.
