England narrowly overcomes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kane secures qualification with a brace.
The attacker Harry Kane saved the England national team from an early elimination trap, scoring a brace in the last quarter of the match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2-1), leading the "Three Lions" to the Round of 16 of the World Cup on Wednesday in Atlanta.
After Brian Sibanda opened the scoring early for the African team, participating in the tournament for only the second time (7), the English waited until the final minutes to turn the tables with two goals from their captain Kane (75 and 86), who scored his fifth goal in the current World Cup edition and the 13th overall.
The start of the match was shocking for the "Three Lions," who are seeking their second world title and their first in 60 years, in a World Cup that saw the exit of two major European powers, Germany and the Netherlands, against Paraguay and Morocco.
Sibanda opened the scoring for the "Leopards" in the seventh minute, after a remarkable long pass from Chancel Mbemba reached him on the left side, he struck a powerful ground shot at the near post that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford failed to save, marking his first international goal.
German Thomas Tuchel was clear when he said on Wednesday that his team was expected to overcome the newly returned Congo in the most important football competition, "I think we can simply accept that we are the favorites to win (against Congo)."
The English team increased the pressure in search of an equalizer, but Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mbasi bravely saved a header from Jude Bellingham (30).
The English continued their pressure as Nuno Madueke brilliantly surged down the right side before sending a ball into the area, but Marcus Rashford was denied at the last moment by a crucial intervention from Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the goal line (35).
Joan Wissa, well-known in English football for wearing the Newcastle shirt, nearly dealt a crushing blow to the ambitions of the "Three Lions" when he received a well-placed low cross, but it rebounded off the post in a clear goal-scoring opportunity (42).