Kane saves England against DR Congo; tough meeting with Mexico in Azteca awaits

England sang their hearts out afterwards, but during the match against DR Congo there was heavy pressure hanging over the team. In Atlanta, national coach Thomas Tuchel's team worked their way to a 2-1 victory in the sixteenth finals after a poor start, thanks to two late goals from Harry Kane.

The beginning was nervous and sloppy. England fell behind early on and then came up against the excellent goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi several times. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford looked rushed, the crowd grumbled and DR Congo even hit the aluminum en route to what could have been a decisive 0-2. Only in the final quarter did the tension ease off the shoulders.

“What a crazy match,” said match winner Kane. "Coming back like this gives me enormous satisfaction and makes me proud of the group, proud of the boys. Helping the team over the finish line is a magical feeling and I know that people celebrated in the pubs at home - and rightly so."


Afterwards, Tuchel wanted little to know about the paralyzing pressure on his team. “I didn't see any of that today, and it would be so easy to get caught up in that,” he said. "We didn't play with fear, but with determination. In these knockout games sometimes you just have to find a way. We trusted our spirit and brought the right energy into the stadium and the dressing room — that's the most important lesson today."

The reality is that the tension doesn't just go away. And the next hurdle promises to be even tougher: Mexico awaits in the eighth finals on Sunday in Estadio Azteca. Altitude, heat and a swirling atmosphere make Mexico City one of the toughest stages of the tournament. Tuchel: “There are many obstacles ahead. But we now have the ideal platform to sincerely believe that we are ready and, when the going gets tough, we will find the answers.”

England cannot afford such a turbulent opening phase as against DR Congo. The opponent and circumstances force us to be sharp from minute one. The positive thing for the English: for once they can almost profile themselves as underdogs in Mexico City instead of as top favorites who have to bring 'it' home. In this tournament there is only one alternative to singing and cheering after the final whistle: the plane home. In any case, England postponed that departure for a while.