England needed two late goals from captain Harry Kane to storm back and hold off a determined team from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, earning a 2-1 victory that narrowly avoided one of the biggest World Cup upsets in history.
First Half
The Congolese shocked the mostly English crowd in Atlanta when Brian Cipenga was left unmarked at the far post on a cross in the seventh minute. He calmly collected the ball and fired a shot past keeper Jordan Pickford, giving the African side a stunning 1-0 lead in the opening minutes of the match.
Second Half
The pressure ramped up after halftime but there was still no breakthrough for the English as manager Thomas Tuchel subbed off Madueke and Rashford for two fellow attackers, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon. England’s equalizer finally came in the 74th minute when Kane rose highest for a header in the box sent in by Gordon, nodding the ball past a diving Mpasi to make it 1-1.
England’s deliverance came in the 85th minute when Kane sent one more shot past Mpasi, ending Congo’s hopes for a historic upset. Bellingham’s run unlocked the Congo defense, forcing a save from Mpasi. Gordon collected the rebound and sent a tricky pass to Kane at the top of the penalty area, where he took two touches and then smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
