England — DR Congo

Atlanta held its breath tonight — and for a very long time it breathed in the wrong direction for England. Here is the paradox that defines this match: England had xG of 2.04, DR Congo had 0.8 — yet it was the Leopards who led from the seventh minute all the way to the seventy-fifth. The numbers screamed England's dominance. The scoreboard screamed something entirely different. Brian Cipenga struck in the seventh minute and handed his team a fortress to defend. DR Congo's plan was transparent from kickoff — sit deep, stay compact, absorb, punish on the break — and for 68 minutes it worked beautifully. Their goalkeeper made five saves. Their backline held shape under 60 percent possession and 16 shots. Credit where it is due: disciplined, courageous defending. The weakness? Their one big chance, they missed — and when the tide turned, they had no attacking platform left to answer it. England's story is simultaneously impressive and embarrassing. Seven big chances. Six missed. A 91 percent pass accuracy that produced almost nothing penetrating until the final quarter. Jude Bellingham's yellow card in the 19th minute — a familiar flash of frustration — cost him freedom for much of the first half. Noni Madueke, England's sharpest tool before his 61st-minute exit, consistently found space, yet the final ball repeatedly let everyone down. The double substitution — Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon — changed the tempo and created conditions for what followed. Harry Kane. 75th minute, a captain's finish. 86th minute, a composed close-range goal that sealed it. Rating 8.11 — best on the pitch. When England needed someone to carry the weight of a tournament, Kane delivered with quiet authority. Whether this team deserved to win is genuinely debatable — the xG gap was real, but converting only 2 from 7 big chances is a habit this squad cannot afford to keep. On FootLegion, those Kane goals are yours forever — no one takes them away from you. Now, over to you: was this a deserved England win, or did DR Congo get robbed by a scoreline that doesn't reflect their effort? And if England keep wasting big chances at this rate — how far can Kane carry them alone?