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World Cup 2026: England's great rescue hero Harry Kane against DR Congo
GolghorBD·2 July 2026
Harry Kane's last-minute heroics gave England a dramatic 2-1 win over DR Congo, taking England into the last 16 of the World Cup 2026.
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When Harry Kane ran into a corner of Atlanta's futuristic stadium, England coach Thomas Tuchel came down the field to cheer. Kane — captain, inspiration and frankly a world-class player — salvaged a World Cup campaign that was shaping up to be one of the biggest embarrassments in England history. Sitting on the roof of the stadium away from the sweltering heat and uncomfortable humidity of Atlanta, England, and perhaps Tukhel's time coaching, was slowly coming to an end when they fell behind against DR Congo. But one player, one of his country's greatest ever players, revived him. Make no mistake, England were heading for a humiliating defeat — like the Euro 2016 loss to Iceland or the USA in 1950 — when Kane, as he often does, took control of the game. Kane's record-breaking career is full of great moments — but none of them will match unless one captures what happened here. England won the last 32 of the World Cup 2–1, but with 15 minutes left in the match, with time running out, Kane curled a powerful header past goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. Mpasi was a great goalkeeper, made some great saves in the match, and was a defensive monster. What Kane did with four minutes remaining was the work of the greats. He took a pass from Anthony Gordon, who came on as a substitute, and had a hand in the goal, took the ball away from a DR Congo defender and fired a powerful shot past Mpasi. The goal was great, and Mpassi must have been told to move away before he could catch the ball. A flurry of cheers broke out among the England players — a fairly poor performance had now become a dramatically winning one, the England captain doing it for his team. Not only did the team have expectations on Cain, but so did coach Tuckell. Tukhel had to rely on Kane to avoid any embarrassment. If England lost, Tukhel might not have been in the job, although his contract was extended. The Football Association also had some concerns about Kane. With the faith they took in Tuchel, his sole mission was to win this World Cup, and so they have become over-reliant on Kane. And it was all about Cain. All superlatives are used to describe Cain, and they are all necessary to him. And the stats he left in the match against DR Congo were incredible. He is now joint sixth in World Cup history with 13 goals, overtaking Pele to become England's all-time leading goalscorer with 84 goals. At the international level he is now tied for ninth in goals with Ferenc Puskas, Puskas' tally being 84. He became the first player since Gary Lineker in the 1990 World Cup to score two goals in a knockout stage match for England. He has scored 5 goals in the knockout stages of the World Cup so far, second only to Lineker's 6 goals for the most knockout goals for England. Most surprisingly, he has scored 72 goals in 62 matches for club and country this season. He scored 61 goals for his only club Bayern Munich and 11 for England. The 32-year-old is improving his game with age, not just in scoring goals, but also in passing and leading. England teammate Jude Bellingham said that when he thinks of Kane in the future, he will think of him as a player who it was an honor to play alongside. Gordon said: "Anybody can score great goals, that's not a problem. But the consistency he (Kane) is playing with is great. Every day in training, every game, it's amazing." Gordon added, "To be with someone like that is really amazing. He's having a season that's only surpassed by Messi — the greatest player of all time. It's about the level he's playing at. "When you're with a player of that level, taking some of his habits, trying to see what makes him at that level in his game — it's not an accident. "He works hard. He brings passion and seriousness to his game. He never comes on the field unsolicited. Everything he does properly." But Kane played properly in the match against DR Congo. He was outstanding. There were controversies ahead of the match, but Kane shrugged off those controversies, saying, "When I was young, I watched England, watched the World Cup, and thought one day I would play there. I try not to remember these things. I try to give my best before going on the field. I know, there are many boys and girls all over the world who watch this tournament. To give the best for the country, that's my main goal when I take the field." Now England's target is Mexico — they play in Mexico next Monday (July 6) in the last 16 of the World Cup at 1pm Bangladesh time. Mexico have lost only 2 of 89 competitive matches at home. It will be a tough test for England too, because they will be playing at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Their matches so far have been at lower altitudes. Kane will be needed more there, because the expectations will be higher. There will be more expectations of the audience.
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