Kane's late brace rescues England as Belgium and USA survive World Cup drama

Harry Kane rescued England with a late brace to secure a nervy 2-1 World Cup round-of-32 victory over DR Congo at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta on Wednesday. Brian Cipenga had given DR Congo an early lead before Kane, captaining the side, struck twice in the closing stages to prevent a major upset and send the Three Lions into the last 16.

The win came with an anxious footnote: midfielder Declan Rice was substituted late in the game and was spotted icing his leg on the bench. Rice moved quickly to calm concerns, insisting he was “good as gold” and that the precaution was simply a response to playing in gruelling 30-degree heat, with John Stones replacing him for the final minutes.

The post-match atmosphere was overshadowed by a deeply sombre moment when DR Congo manager Sebastien Desabre learned of his father’s sudden passing at the end of his press conference. The news was announced abruptly to the room; a visibly shocked Desabre replied with a quiet “Merci” before immediately leaving.

In Seattle, Belgium produced one of the tournament’s most dramatic comebacks, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time. Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr put Senegal in command before Romelu Lukaku sparked the Belgian revival in the 86th minute. The match had already been interrupted in the 31st minute when three individuals, believed to be social media influencers, invaded the pitch and were chased down by security staff.

The decisive moment arrived in the 125th minute when Lamine Camara fouled Belgium captain Youri Tielemans in the penalty area. After a lengthy VAR review confirmed the spot-kick, Tielemans converted confidently to seal the win, leaving the Senegal squad furious at their elimination.

In San Francisco, co-hosts the United States also advanced to the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, though not without complications. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring in the first half before being shown a red card in the 64th minute, drawing the visible anger of head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Despite being reduced to 10 men, the USA held firm and sealed the result when Malik Tillman curled in a brilliant free-kick in the 82nd minute. The victory sets up a last-16 meeting between the USA and Belgium.