The Democratic Republic of Congo entered the match strongly, and succeeded in surprising England early. In the seventh minute, Brian Tsibenga scored the lead goal with a right-footed shot from the left side inside the penalty area, which he placed in the left corner of the ground, after a decisive pass from Chancel Mbemba.
The early goal confused the England team, which tried to quickly return to the atmosphere of the match, but it collided with a clear defensive organization from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the 19th minute, Jude Bellingham received a yellow card after a strong intervention, before Noah Siddiqui received a yellow card for Congo in the 28th minute.
Despite England’s attempts to apply pressure, the Congolese team maintained its lead until the end of the first half, which ended with a score of 1-0, putting the English team before a difficult test in the second half.
At the beginning of the second half, the England team resorted to substitutions in search of revitalizing the attack. In the 61st minute, Bukayo Saka came on for Chokwonunso Maduki, and Anthony Gordon replaced Marcus Rashford. Then, the Congo national team brought on Mischak Elia instead of Nathaniel Mboko in the 64th minute, before Eberechi Eze came on for Diop Spence in the 70th minute.
These changes gave England a clear offensive impetus, especially through Anthony Gordon, who created the turning point in the match. In the 75th minute, Gordon sent a cross that reached Harry Kane, who scored the equalizing goal with a header from the middle of the penalty area to the left corner of the floor.
After the draw, Congo tried to absorb the English pressure, and made two substitutions in the 76th minute, with Theo Bongonda and Edward Kayembe replacing Brian Tsibenga and Ngalaile Mokau. But England continued its pressure, searching for the decisive goal.
In the 86th minute, Harry Kane returned to appear at the crucial time, after receiving a pass from Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area, and shot with the right foot from the right side into the top right corner, giving England a 2-1 lead.
The England national team maintained its lead in the final minutes, winning the match with difficulty and overcoming the Democratic Congo obstacle, after a confrontation that began with an early shock and ended with an English comeback led by Harry Kane with two decisive goals.
