Genuine superstar Kane produces his biggest England moment
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Harry Kane scored both England goals in the 2-1 comeback win over DR Congo in the World Cup last-32 in Atlanta, heading in with 15 minutes left before firing a stunning right-foot winner four minutes from time.
- Anthony Gordon, introduced as a substitute, set up the decisive goal and was involved in both of Kane's finishes after a largely dreadful England performance.
- Kane moved past Pelé to joint-sixth on the all-time World Cup scoring list with 13 goals, and now sits on 84 England goals — level with Ferenc Puskas in ninth on the all-time international scorers list.
- Kane is the first England player to score twice in a World Cup knockout match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990, and now has five knockout-stage World Cup goals, one shy of Lineker's England record of six.
- Thomas Tuchel all but conceded his job was on the line, saying England would have been heading for an embarrassment on the scale of the 1950 World Cup loss to the United States and the Euro 2016 exit to Iceland — and that he would 'surely have been unable to survive' a defeat regardless of his contract extension.
- Kane has 72 goals in 62 club-and-country appearances this season (61 for Bayern Munich, 11 for England), putting him in Tuchel's 'sharks' Golden Boot conversation alongside Mbappé, Haaland and Messi.
- England next face co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Monday 6 July, at over 7,000 feet altitude, where Mexico have lost just two of their past 89 competitive home games and gone 10 World Cup matches unbeaten.
Why it matters: Tuchel's position as England coach was effectively on the line in Atlanta — the FA handed him the sole mission of winning the World Cup, and a loss to DR Congo would have ranked alongside the 1950 defeat to the United States. Kane's rescue keeps both Tuchel and England's tournament alive, but now faces a last-16 trip to the Azteca at 7,000+ feet against a Mexico side unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches there.
