"Leopards" Defeated

LIVE NOW: Can England Get Past the DR Congo?

Harry Kane, England’s top goal-scorer, has struck again …(Bild: AFP/RICHARD PELHAM)

Well done, “Lions”—After a group stage match against the DR Congo that certainly didn’t go down in history, England delivered a game at the World Cup that, if not top-class, was certainly highly dramatic! Thanks to a brace by Harry Kane, the “Three Lions” came back from a 0-1 deficit to defeat the “Leopards” 2-1, thereby securing a major victory—and a spot in the World Cup Round of 16. There, they’ll now face World Cup co-host Mexico, a team they haven’t lost to in over 67 (!) years...

60 percent humidity at 34 degrees Celsius outdoors under the blazing midday sun of Georgia, compared to 22 degrees Celsius in the comfortably temperate (indoor) interior of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium—not that it would have helped, but of course there were no protests—neither from the players nor the fans—about the fact that the roof of the World Cup arena remained closed during the eighth round-of-16 match, allowing them to feel the cooling effect of the air conditioning on their own bodies.

The England team(Bild: AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo team(Bild: AFP/ODD ANDERSEN)

DR Congo takes the lead after 6:27 minutes
From the perspective of the “Three Lions”—classically lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation by their head coach Thomas Tuchel—they hardly needed any further cooling off, but they were treated to an additional “cold shower” very early on. Just 6:27 minutes had passed since referee Adham Makhadmeh blew the whistle when the “Leopards” from Central Africa—who formed a 4-3-3 when in possession—took a 1-0 lead.

After a long cross from team captain Chancel Mbemba, neither the overlapping fullback Djed Spence nor striker Noah Sadiki could get to the ball —unlike Brian Cipenga, who cut inside from the unguarded right side of the defense and beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a shot into the near corner. With all due respect to the “Three Lions’” goalkeeper: Despite the shot’s power, he could certainly have saved it—indeed, he probably should have…

Jordan Pickford(Bild: AFP/MICHAEL REAVES)

The “Leopards,” strong in both running and fighting spirit 
Either way: Even before the goal, the starting lineup—which Tuchel had changed in three spots from the group stage final against Panama—with Declan Rice, Spence, and Noni Madueke coming in for Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers, and Bukayo Saka—had played rather sluggishly, allowing the DR Congo team to settle into the game relatively unchallenged. Without giving away any secrets: Things didn’t get any better at first, no matter what the English “conjured up” on the field —while they were soon able to boost their possession percentage, they failed to produce even the slightest hint of a threatening attack against the hard-running and tenacious “Leopards.”

“Hydration Break” Works Its Magic Once Again
And so it came to pass: once again, the “hydration break” worked its magic; once again, a coach—in this case, Tuchel—was able to use the break to completely reset the team. Even without any noticeable tactical changes, the English team now played with more purpose, aggression, and directness—at least for long stretches. Suddenly, there were also chances for the team that had been crowned world champions 21,887 days ago; between the 30th and 35th minutes alone, England fans were on the verge of celebrating a goal three times.

• First, Ezri Konsa, unmarked at the five-meter line, shot wide to the right after a free kick by Rice from the right side had, somewhat surprisingly, found its way to him (30').

• Then Jude Bellingham got his head to a long cross from Spence out of the half-space, but “Leopards” goalie Lionel Mpasi made the save (32').

• The final installment in England’s trilogy of missed chances belonged to Marcus Rashford, whose shot at the near left corner following a misplaced cross should have tied the game —but because former Man United pro Aaron Wan-Bissaka was standing right there, former Man United pro Rashford was left unable to celebrate the goal (35th minute).

Shortly before halftime, things really heated up on both sides: First, it was once again the Congolese, with Yoane Wissa hitting the right post from six meters out after a deflected cross from Wan-Bissaka (42.), and then, following a through ball to Kane and Mpasi’s intervention, there was a penalty appeal in the Congo penalty area (43'), but no penalty was called—more info on that HERE! Because Congo goalkeeper Mpasi subsequently made two more saves against Bellingham (45'+2 and 45'+6) and one against Kane (45'+6), the score remained 1-0 for the underdog—in terms of expected goals, the match would have already been turned around by this point (1.26 vs. 0.69) …

(Bild: AP/Colin Hubbard)

England kept up the pressure after the restart
“With no substitutions, but also without a shift in momentum, the match continued after the break—while the English still weren’t playing at a World Cup-caliber level, one could no longer deny the “Three Lions” their commitment and determination to play offensively and secure the win, at least not since the “hydration break.” Unlike at the start of the first half, they created chances right after the restart, but Rashford (52’/side netting) and Bellingham (54’/cleared by Mpasi and Mbemba working together) initially failed to equalize.

Sébastien Desabre, head coach of the DR Congo, had to watch from the coaching zone as his light-blue-clad players defended selflessly but were increasingly unable to mount dangerous attacks. Still, a deflected long-range shot by Nathanaël Mbuku briefly sent Tuchel’s blood pressure soaring, but it sailed over the crossbar (63').

Harry Kane(Bild: AP/Colin Hubbard)

Tuchel once again makes perfect use of the “hydration break”
However, the former Dortmund and Bayern coach managed to breathe new life into the attack—which had been slowly but surely losing momentum—during the second “hydration break.” Just as in the first half, the English side shifted up a gear after the break—and soon enough, the moment arrived: A cross from the right that initially sailed past both friend and foe was revived by substitute Anthony Gordon, and the resulting cross from the left was headed into the left corner from six meters out by goal-scorer Kane (75th minute)—England was back in the game.

The Many-Legged Congolese Defensive Hydra
And yet it seemed clear that the match was headed for extra time, because although Mbemba and Co. now appeared to be knocked out at times, they continued to defend like a many-legged hydra, clearing whatever needed to be cleared. In the 86th minute, too, the Congolese defensive unit initially appeared to have successfully thwarted an English attack when Mpasi made a save against Bellingham from a tight angle. But in the back, Gordon picked up the rebound, dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, and then delivered a brilliant pass to Kane — who created space for himself with two or three quick steps to the right and fired from 14 meters with the fury of a striker who felt he’d been wronged by an early penalty call.

The game had now turned around, England was suddenly in the World Cup Round of 16—and would remain there, because apart from a free kick fired over Pickford’s goal from 24 meters, the Central Africans had nothing more to offer—thereby confirming, incidentally, the balance of power in the animal kingdom: After all, even in the animal kingdom, leopards usually end up on the losing end when they take on a lion…

The result:
England – DR Congo 2–1 (0–1)
Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 68,239 spectators, Referee Adham Makhadmeh

Goals: 1–0 (7') Cipenga, 1–1 (75') Kane, 2–1 (86') Kane

Yellow cards: Bellingham and Sadiki

England: Pickford – Spence (70. Eze), Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly – Anderson, Rice (91. Stones) – Madueke (60. Saka), Bellingham, Rashford (60. Gordon) – Kane
DR Congo: Mpasi – Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Masuaku (89. J. Kayembe) – Mukau (76' E. Kayembe), Moutoussamy (89' Mayele), Sadiki – Mbuku (64' Elia), Wissa, Cipenga (76' Bongonda)