Harry Kane’s England heroics show the value of having one true superstar

{"text":[[{"start":8.5,"text":"After England snatched the win 2-1, thanks inevitably to Harry Kane, the familiar tune of “Football’s Coming Home” boomed through the stadium’s loudspeakers. That felt very premature. Though England deserved to beat a highly competent Democratic Republic of Congo, they once again failed to justify their pre-tournament billing as a plausible contender to win the 2026 World Cup. "}],[{"start":33.8,"text":"The overwhelming English emotion in the air-conditioned Atlanta Stadium was relief. England survived to face co-hosts Mexico in the altitude of Mexico City, in the mythical Azteca Stadium, in Sunday’s round of 16 — an outcome that was in doubt for most of the game. On seven minutes, a cross-field pass found Congolese winger Brian Cipenga free on the left of the English penalty area, abandoned by England’s makeshift third-choice right-back Djed Spence. Cipenga’s shot inexcusably surprised keeper Jordan Pickford at the near post. Pickford’s limitations are known, but England still have nobody better."}],[{"start":71.75,"text":"“The worst start possible,” commented England’s coach Thomas Tuchel afterwards. “First shot, first goal.” It was also the first international goal for Cipenga, who plays for Almería in Spain’s second division. DR Congo had clearly identified Spence as a weakness, directing the bulk of their attacks down his flank. If neither Reece James nor Jarell Quansah is fit to play right-back against Mexico, then centre-back Ezri Konsa or even midfielder Declan Rice could fill in there, as both did in this match’s latter stages."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":105.6,"text":"For 68 minutes after Cipenga’s stunner, a familiar scenario loomed: the elimination of a highly rated England team playing unimaginative football. Given that DR Congo had not appeared in a World Cup since 1974 when they were called Zaire, this would have ranked among England’s most inglorious eliminations, up there with the defeat by tiny Iceland a decade ago at Euro 2016, featuring a young Kane and Marcus Rashford. "}],[{"start":132.15,"text":"DR Congo again played much better than predicted pre-tournament. They had not come just to defend or foul, and frequently broke forward with well-worked attacks. “They played with a lot of courage,” acknowledged Tuchel. However, few DR Congo players are used to games of this pace and intensity, and they tired at the end. That may also explain why fellow African teams Ivory Coast, Senegal and South Africa lost their second-round games in the final minutes. "}],[{"start":160.6,"text":"England lacked an imaginative passer in central defence and central midfield, notwithstanding Elliot Anderson’s efforts. That happens when the best potential midfield playmaker, Kane, is also the best forward. But today England did not panic and rush as so often before when trailing. The players “were quite calm all the time and very receptive”, said Tuchel. Asked if they felt weighed down by the England shirt, he said: “I didn’t see any of that.”"}],[{"start":186.95,"text":"Indeed, rather than hopeful long punts from the back, they kept spreading the ball to the wings. England attempted 35 crosses from open play, their most in a World Cup game since 1966, according to data providers Opta. Both starting wingers were sub-optimal: Noni Madueke began on the right, because the superior Bukayo Saka is still recovering from injury and could only replace him for the last half hour. Rashford, starting on the left, is more a shooter than a supplier. Both struggled to beat their man and cut into the box. "}],[{"start":219.75,"text":"England still created enough chances, managing seven shots on target, against DR Congo’s two. Jude Bellingham, playing behind Kane, made well-timed runs from deep, but his powerful strikes with head and foot were defied by DR Congo’s French-born keeper Lionel Mpasi, who plays for Le Havre yet for an hour put in arguably the keeping performance of the tournament. His mid-air change of direction to stop a shot of Bellingham’s that had been deflected off a defender was almost implausible."}],[{"start":250.9,"text":"Bellingham and Kane still do not look complementary, rarely creating chances for each other. In fact, Kane’s best supplier proved to be the much-maligned outside-left Anthony Gordon. Replacing Rashford after an hour, he teed up Kane twice, first with a chip for a game-saving header on 75 minutes, and then, 11 minutes later, for a turn away from three defenders and a blast into the top of Mpasi’s net. “Just a brilliant goal,” said Tuchel, most of whose substitutions worked. Since he aims to build a team in service of Kane, that argues for Gordon to start against Mexico. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":289.7,"text":"The only previous time England won a World Cup game after conceding the opening goal was the 1966 final. Kane said: “We spoke about people having hero moments and it can be anyone. It was me today.” Kane now has 84 goals for England, 13 in total in World Cups, and five in this tournament, only one behind Lionel Messi. It is just feasible that a decent side with one great player could win a World Cup. Bellingham was arguably right this week to call Kane “the best England player of all time”, though he may also have been trying to manage their relationship, imperfect off as well as on the field. "}],[{"start":328.84999999999997,"text":"Tuchel appealed to English parents to let their children watch games played in English night-time. “There is so much school to go to, but there is only one World Cup every four years.” He added: “It is one of the most beautiful fixtures you can have, playing Mexico in the Azteca . . . My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. This is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have.” England will need to summon more quality if they are to survive again."}],[{"start":365,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1783091933_1670.mp3"}