Kane's two late goals rescue England from DR Congo to reach World Cup last 16

Harry Kane rescued England from a halftime deficit on Wednesday, scoring twice in the second half to seal a 2-1 World Cup round-of-32 victory over DR Congo at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and set up a last-16 clash with Mexico.

Brian Cipenga had given Congo a surprising lead heading into the break, but Kane levelled with a header before curling a decisive finish into the top corner in the 86th minute — England’s latest regulation-time winning goal in a World Cup knockout match.

“It was just about pounding the rock, keep pounding the rock and our moment would come,” Kane said afterwards. “We spoke about people having hero moments. It can be anyone in the team… Whoever it is, we have hero moments, and for me it was the day.”

The result was built on a series of landmark numbers that reinforce Kane’s standing as England’s greatest international goalscorer. His brace made him the first England player since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990 to score twice in a World Cup knockout match, and he now has five goals in seven career World Cup knockout games — one short of Lineker’s England record of six.

Wednesday was also Kane’s 15th World Cup start, more than any other England men’s outfield player, and his 90th as captain, drawing level with Bobby Moore and Billy Wright for the most starts in that role. His overall tally for the national team now stands at 84 goals.

His five goals at the 2026 tournament place him third in the Golden Boot standings, behind only Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, who each have six. Before this victory, England had won only one previous World Cup match after conceding the opening goal, underlining just how pivotal Kane’s intervention proved.

With each tournament, the case for Kane as England’s greatest international player grows more difficult to dismiss.