England have made it to the final 16 stage after beating DR Congo19:03, 01 Jul 2026Updated 19:22, 01 Jul 2026England will play co-hosts Mexico in the World Cup last-16 after overcoming DR Congo in their first knock-out game. Thomas Tuchel’s side came out as 2-1 winners over their opponents thanks to Harry Kane's brace.‌The Three Lions found themselves staring down the barrel of a shock defeat when they fell behind in the seventh minute thanks to Brian Cipenga's goal.‌They would have been forgiven for believing it wasn't their day when they had a penalty shout turned down in the first half, as well as chances for Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford coming and going, with frustration building.‌JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook pageIt took until the 75th minute for England to draw level. Kane headed past Lionel Mpase to make it 1-1. It was Kane who was the hero again, scoring a brilliant goal with four minutes of normal time remaining to make it 2-1 to England and complete the turnaround.That goal was enough for the Three Lions to book their place in the last 16 of the competition. It was the first time that England have come from behind to win a World Cup knockout match since 1966.‌Their next challenge comes in the early hours of Monday morning as they take on Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium (1am kick-off). The co-hosts came out as 2-0 winners over Ecuador in their round of 32 match.Should England overcome Mexico, they will take on either Brazil or Norway in the quarter-final on Saturday (10pm kick-off). A potential semi-final will come on Wednesday, 15 July at 8pm, against one of Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, Egypt, Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana.‌The final then takes place on Sunday, 19 June at 8pm. The match will be played at the New York, New Jersey Stadium.Speaking to the BBC after his heroics, Kane gave his immediate reaction to the win. “It feel amazing to be honest, what a crazy game against a tough team, organised team," he said.“After that first hydration break, I thought we upped the level. Their keeper made some amazing saves.‌“It was about... keep pounding the rock. Just keep pounding the rock.“We spoke about how you can have hero moments, it can be any one of us. It could be Pickers [Pickford] making a save. For me, it was today.“When you get to knockout football, the pressure is higher, the risk is higher. From an attacking point of view, it was probably our best game of the tournament so far.“It’s just about getting through; this one and the next one are difficult for different reasons.”Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Article continues below