It was looking bleak out there. Ten years on, it was looking like Iceland all over again. The clock was ticking and the panic was rising. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), so impressive during that early surge at a disbelieving Atlanta Stadium, were starting to dream and England were about to become the punchline in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
The obituaries were written, the calls for root-and-branch reform sure to follow. Nothing was going England’s way. Harry Kane, his hopes of winning the Ballon d’Or fading before his eyes, had a penalty claim waved away by the Jordanian referee. Lionel Mpasi, if not the best Lionel to play in a World Cup, was certainly looking a sure bet to win superior player of the match. The DRC goalkeeper was in astonishing form, making saves like Poland’s Jan Tomaszewski at Wembley in 1973, and with time running out during the second half it seemed an increasingly frantic England had run out of ideas against the dreaded low block.
Yet this was an almost Iceland. Thanks to two dead-eyed finishes from Harry Kane it was Slovakia at Euro 2024. England are through to the last 16, through to face a pumped-up Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday night, and have again done enough to convince themselves everything is working as planned.
There will be focus on Thomas Tuchel, his facial expression increasingly disturbed as the second half wore on with no sign of an equaliser arriving, finding the composure to make telling little tweaks during perhaps the greatest hydration break in English football history. Praise will go to the squad’s “finishers” – the ones who came on to shift the narrative. There were 20 minutes left when Tuchel made his final roll of the dice. He had already swapped his wingers, Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford replaced by Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon, and now he decided to go for broke, with Djed Spence hauled off after a poor display, Declan Rice shifted to right-back and Eberechi Eze introduced to add more unpredictability in the final third.
The leveller arrived five minutes later and owed much to Tuchel’s rejig. Eze was involved, combining with Rice. The vice-captain crossed from the byline and the ball reached Gordon, who put the ball back into the middle for Kane to head past Mpasi.
It was a goal featuring two substitutes and one player moved into an unfamiliar position. In the heat of the moment it was possible to think that Tuchel had everything under control. Anthony Barry, the German’s No 2, had used his half-time interview to talk about the importance of England continuing to go through their processes. The instruction was not to fall into the trap of playing gung-ho football. England kept probing and their depth made a difference. Gordon, who struggled when he started against Ghana and Croatia in the group stage, finished with two assists after his clever pass led to Kane bashing in the winner in the 86th minute.
Yet the more sober analysis is that England are going to be run out of Mexico City if this how they play on Sunday. The reality is they have not produced a complete performance in any of their first four games. They have looked tired, fractious and unbalanced at times, save for that thrilling surge against Croatia in Dallas, and will leave Atlanta with plenty of problems to solve.
It speaks volumes that the DRC were fearless from the first whistle. They took the ball, wheeled out their passing combinations and rattled England with their counterpress. Seven minutes in, a long spell of possession ramped up when Chancel Mbemba sprayed the ball from right to left and found the England defence in a state of disrepair.
Noah Sadiki ran from midfield, away from Elliot Anderson and dragged Spence across. Ezri Konsa, drawn to Yoane Wissa, was marking no one. Spence was exposed – Noni Madueke had stayed high to watch Arthur Masuaku – and Brian Cipenga had time to drill a low shot inside Jordan Pickford’s near post.
The rest of the first half was bewildering. Jude Bellingham was seen shouting at the England bench. He lost possession and clattered into Nathanaël Mbuku to earn a booking. There was little sign of Tuchel’s famous brotherhood. England were arguing among themselves. Rice raged after the goal. Reece James had to talk some sense into Bellingham during the first hydration break. Pickford smacked a pass out of play and told everyone to calm down. Anderson was all over the place in midfield. Madueke cut inside a lot. Rashford let a ball run under his foot and out for a throw. Then he watched and failed to track back as the DRC outnumbered Nico O’Reilly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka overlapping and crossing for Wissa to hit a post.
A better side would have killed England off before half-time. Rice still looks unfit and the defence remains an accident waiting to happen. Spence did not look the answer at right-back but Tino Livramento has gone home, Jarell Quansah has a twisted ankle and James has tweaked a hamstring.
So much depends on Kane and Bellingham. Rashford played himself out of the team with a series of wayward crosses from the left. There were boos when one of his deliveries drifted out of play. It was time for Tuchel to work his magic. More will be required if England are to go any further.
