Harry Kane: This was probably one of our best performances in the tournament, but the team still has room for improvement.

England captain Harry Kane stated that the team maintained sufficient patience and firmly believed that the opportunity would eventually come. Ultimately, his brace helped England come from behind to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 playoffs.

The match was held at Atlanta Stadium. England were trailing behind Brian Sipenga's goal in the first half, but Harry Kane scored two goals in 11 minutes in the second half to complete the comeback and lead his team to the round of 16, where they will face Mexico in the next round.

In the 75th minute, he scored a close-range header to equalize for his team. Four minutes before the final whistle, he sealed the victory with a powerful long-range shot, igniting celebrations throughout the stadium. Despite several brilliant saves by Democratic Republic of Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpassi, Harry Kane stated that the team remained confident that opportunities would eventually arise.

Harry Kane said after the match: "It feels great. It was a very intense game. The opponent's organization was excellent and caused us a lot of trouble. Their goalkeeper made several incredible saves in the first half. All we could do was keep pressing, keep attacking that defense, and keep attacking. I believe the opportunity will come sooner or later."

“We’ve always emphasized that anyone can step up in a crucial moment. It could be me, it could be a save by Jordan Pickford, or a key block by a defender. Everyone has a chance to be a hero, and today it’s my turn to step up.”

England faced intense competition in this match, creating numerous chances but failing to break the deadlock easily. The Democratic Republic of Congo also posed a threat, with Newcastle United striker Ione Vesa having a good opportunity to extend their lead in the first half, but his shot unfortunately hit the post.

After demonstrating remarkable resilience, Harry Kane gathered his teammates on the pitch for a brief debriefing after the final whistle, emphasizing that the team should savor this hard-won victory. Kane stated, "Patience is crucial in games like these. Offensively, this was probably our best performance of the tournament, but of course there are still areas for improvement."

"Ultimately, the most crucial thing at this stage is to advance. The head coach also mentioned before the game that we have entered a stage where we must 'go head-to-head', and that's exactly what we did today."

Image source: Internet / England National Team official website