England Player Ratings vs. DR Congo: Kane Magic Enables Lions to Conquer Leopards

England Player Ratings vs. DR Congo: Kane Magic Enables Lions to Conquer Leopards

Harry Kane was England’s savior in its World Cup round of 32 match with DR Congo, scoring twice late in the second half to clinch a hard-fought 2–1 win.

A nightmare start allowed Brian Cipenga to strike in the seventh minute, with some questionable defending gifting DR Congo a deserved early advantage, and an extremely frustrating first 45 minutes for England reached its crescendo when Kane saw penalty claims waved away on the cusp of halftime.

Fortune had favored Thomas Tuchel’s men moments earlier when Yoane Wissa crashed the post from close range, but England showed very little immediately after the break to suggest a turnaround was on the cards.

Then, Kane stood up when it mattered most. First, he connected with Anthony Gordon’s cross to plant a header beyond the reach of Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, before he thundered an exquisite rocket of a finish into the roof of the net to book a round of 16 tie with Mexico at Estadio Azteca.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Pre-match focus centered around how England was going to break through another low block having been frustrated by Ghana and Panama previously. But perhaps greater attention should have been paid to its defensive deficiencies.

England’s attacking dynamism—which has since faded—spared a shaky performance at the back in the opening 4–2 win over Croatia, while Ghana and Panama both caused significant issues for Thomas Tuchel’s side in transition. The back four, which has been different for each match at the tournament to date, have looked alarmingly vulnerable.

DR Congo’s opener epitomized England’s struggles. One simple lofted pass completely cut open the backline as Marc Guéhi and Ezri Konsa stepped up and across too early, with Djed Spence then playing two forwards onside. Completely isolated and outnumbered, the Tottenham Hotspur fullback was unable to produce a recovering block, and Jordan Pickford couldn‘t bail him out after being caught out at his near post.

England was fortunate to be only one goal behind at the break, too. Wissa found space in the penalty area just before the break, drifting free of Konsa too easily, and should have doubled his side’s lead when slamming an effort against the woodwork from a few yards out.

The vulnerabilities within the defense didn’t disappear after the restart, with the Leopards continuously engineering time and space on the counterattack. The more England pushed for an equalizer, the more holes emerged, and a more clinical opponent could well have punished such a lackadaisical display.

Kane’s genius will steal the headlines after his second-half heroics, but England knows it must massively improve at the back if it wants to make a deep run at the tournament and clinch a second world title.

England Player Ratings vs. DR Congo (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Jordan Pickford—6.2: The Everton goalkeeper has failed to inspire confidence this summer and must shoulder blame for being beaten far too easily at his near post by Cipenga.

RB: Djed Spence—6.8: Completely out of sync with his defense and left in no man‘s land as Cipenga opened the scoring. At least offered some enthusiasm in the DR Congo half.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.1: Konsa’s erratic performances were concerning for England in the group stage, and the Aston Villa center back looked a yard off it in Atlanta, too.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.3: Much like his center back partner, Guéhi looks susceptible to direct transitions. Clearly operating beneath his usually impeccable standards.

LB: Nico O’Reilly—7.1: There’s a sense O’Reilly is playing within himself for England, offered fewer of the attacking freedoms that make him such a tantalizing threat for Manchester City.

CM: Elliot Anderson—8.0: Hounded blue shirts at every opportunity without contributing too much in possession.

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CM: Declan Rice—7.2: In England’s time of need, Rice produced a muted performance which lacked his usual imperiousness, but a selfless stint at right back late in the match did help his side over the line.

RW: Noni Madueke—7.7: Continues to be an extremely frustrating watch. Created space and angles with his electric feet, but once again lacked the necessary final product.

AM: Jude Bellingham—7.1: Stung Mpasi’s palms with two first-half headers as he sought to be England’s talisman for the second match running. Those were the Real Madrid star’s only noteworthy contributions.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.2: Spurned two terrific chances either side of halftime, one of which was cleared off the line, and was worryingly unrefined when attempting to tee up teammates.

ST: Harry Kane—8.9: When England was crying out for Kane’s ruthless edge, he duly delivered. After scoring his third header of the tournament, Kane proceeded to lash an inspired winner into the roof of the net. Simply brilliant.

SUB: Bukayo Saka (61’ for Madueke)—6.7: Couldn’t provide too much inspiration against tired DR Congo legs.

SUB: Anthony Gordon (61’ for Rashford)—8.1: Helped spark a revival from the bench by twice assisting Kane. A very fruitful cameo.

SUB: Eberechi Eze (71’ for Spence)—6.4: Rarely involved.

SUB: John Stones (90+1’) for Rice—N/A

Subs not used: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• England has always been able to rely on the stoic performances of Pickford between the posts, even if the 32-year-old doesn’t rank among the game’s most graceful goalkeepers. However, it was his inability to prevent a near-post drive early in proceedings almost proved costly for the Three Lions, and it was an effort that should have really been rebuffed. Compared to the display of his counterpart Mpasi, it was an underwhelming day for Pickford.
• Kane was once again frustrated for large sections of Wednesday’s match, but as he’s done against Croatia and Panama already this summer, the 32-year-old delivered when England needed inspiration. When fed the proper service, Kane will always be the difference-maker, and his teammates must up their creative levels to allow their captain to shine. He can’t drag the Three Lions to glory solo.
• Anthony Gordon had been anonymous at the World Cup prior to Wednesday’s match, but he’s now announced himself with two vital assists for Kane. The Barcelona winger made an enormous impact with his fresh legs and, crucially, end product, and will now be pushing for a start against Mexico.

The Numbers That Explain England’s Hard-Fought Win

Match Momentum

• England lacked a ruthless edge outside of Kane, scoring only two of seven big chances created across the match.
• Persistence eventually paid off for the Three Lions, who did dominate proceedings despite being below their best. It managed 60% of possession, 2.04 expected goals (xG) and 40 touches in the DR Congo penalty area.
• Kane took his goal tally to five for the tournament with his second-half double, putting him just one behind leading scorers Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

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Ewan Ross-Murray is a freelance soccer writer who focuses primarily on the Premier League. Ewan was born in Leicester, but his heart, and club allegiance, belongs to Liverpool.