Harry Kane Says England ‘Found a Way’ After DR Congo Scare

Harry Kane felt England proved their mettle in knockout football, finding a way through a tense World Cup tie as his late double secured a 2-1 win over DR Congo.

England were made to work for their place in the last 16, with DR Congo threatening a major upset before Kane’s late brace finally saw Thomas Tuchel’s side through.

England struggled for rhythm for much of the night, but Kane’s focus after the final whistle was on resilience, not records. The captain acknowledged the game had become a real test, and pointed to the team’s response as a sign of character.

“You take momentum for sure,” Kane said after the match. “I’m proud of the group, proud of the boys. We spoke before the game how difficult this game would be.”

Kane highlighted DR Congo’s defensive discipline and their threat on the break as key reasons why England had to fight so hard for the win.

“You’re coming up against a good team who defend the box really well, who are dangerous in the counterattack as we saw in that first kind of 20 minutes of the game,” he said.

“So we had to just kind of grind a win out and I thought we played some really good stuff kind of after 25 minutes of the game.”

England carved out enough chances to make Kane wonder if the game might slip away. DR Congo’s goalkeeper kept them at bay with a series of saves, and the match took on the tense feel of a knockout tie where pressure mounts with every minute.

“The keeper made some incredible saves to be fair to him and you start to think maybe is it just one of those days?” Kane said.

“But that’s where I’m most proud of the boys and myself as well just to keep the belief, keep getting the ball into the right areas and one of us will have our hero moment and thankfully for me it was today.”

Kane also reflected on the emotional pull of representing England at a World Cup, especially with fans back home able to watch live.

“I remember being a kid and watching England growing up and watching the World Cup and just dreaming of being here one day,” he said.

“So, I try not to forget that when I’m walking out onto the pitch.”

Asked if England can go all the way, Kane made no attempt to hide the ambition.

“Well, that’s the aim first and foremost,” he said. “Obviously, we know it’s been a long time as a nation and we’re doing everything possible to try and make it possible.”

But Kane was quick to bring the focus back to the realities of knockout football. England may have been favourites, but he underlined how little room there is for error at this stage of the tournament.

“In knockout football, anything anything can happen at this level,” he said. “For us it’s just the most pleasing thing that we found a way to get through it.”

Next up is Mexico, with England now preparing for a huge last-16 clash against one of the tournament’s co-hosts.

Kane called facing Mexico on their own turf as big as it gets, admitting the atmosphere will be intense and the challenge even greater. England have come through one tough knockout night; now, an even bigger test awaits.