It wasn't pretty getting there.
Bellingham had two headers kept out by keeper Lionel Mpasi, who was easily Congo DR's best player on the pitch. And Kane himself went down in the box earlier in the match hoping for a penalty, only for referee Adham Makhadmeh to book him for diving after a VAR check backed the call.Congo DR nearly doubled their lead too, Yoane Wissa smashing a shot off the post from a Aaron Wan Bissaka cross, and you could feel the nerves in the stadium every time the Leopards broke forward.Tuchel made his changes when it mattered, throwing on Gordon, Saka and Eze, and it paid off almost immediately.
Congo DR came into this match having never played a World Cup knockout game before, and they made England sweat for every inch of it.Their run has already been something, coming through as one of the best third placed teams in the group stage.Kane's second goal, the one that put England 2-1 up, is the kind of moment that gets replayed for years, a quiet header from the group stage turned into history inside a single half. Substitutions kept coming late for Congo DR too, with Theo Bongonda replacing Cipenga in the 76th minute as Sébastien Desabre searched for a way back in.
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