England captain Harry Kane kept their World Cup dreams alive with two goals in the final 15 minutes against DR Congo to send Thomas Tuchel’s side into the last 16.DR Congo took a surprise lead through Brian Cipenga in the seventh minute, and Tuchel’s team were outplayed in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.They improved after the break, but it was not until the 75th minute that they drew level, when Kane’s downward header beat the otherwise superb DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.Then, with four minutes of normal time remaining, Kane scored a stunning solo goal to go ahead of Brazil legend Pele in the all-time World Cup scoring charts (13 vs 12) and set England up for a meeting with Mexico at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, on Sunday (early hours of Monday UK time).Thom Harris, Michael Cox, Liam Tharme, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Graham Scott analyse the key talking points…How Kane’s genius intervention saved EnglandEngland needed a hero in Atlanta, someone to keep their World Cup campaign alive and stop this from being Tuchel’s ‘Iceland moment’. Deep into the second half, they were 1-0 down, going nowhere, and facing what would have been one of their most humiliating tournament exits.In moments like this, you need your biggest players to step up, to take responsibility for turning things around. And yet no one would quite have imagined this. Kane equalised with a thumping header, generating power to meet Anthony Gordon’s cross, finally beating Mpasi to draw the game level. Even more impressive was the winner, taking the ball with his back to goal, shifting away into space, through four blue shirts, and then driving the ball with so much force that Mpasi could get nowhere near it.Kane had scored three goals in the World Cup before this game — and even then it felt like there was more to come from him. Two against Croatia, the third against Panama, but he was quiet against Ghana, and if he had scored that last-minute volley in the Gillette Stadium, then things would have felt very different.But this was genius, a captain’s performance, an all-time great England World Cup moment. And a reminder that as shaky as England are in so many parts of the game, as long as they have Kane, they have hope.Jack Pitt-BrookeWhat do England need to improve against Mexico?Firstly, their resolve. The hot-headedness they showed after DR Congo scored on seven minutes was problematic, and not until after the first-half hydration break did they truly settle. Considering they now have to go and play Mexico in Mexico, and at altitude, managing moments and pressure is really important — something Ecuador did not do in the round of 32, conceding twice in nine minutes.Being clinical in front of goal will be hugely important. That’s always a given at tournament level, but even more so given Mexico are yet to concede this World Cup, winning four times on home soil.Opponents have had 32 shots and only managed six on-target, with those chances worth 2.26 expected goals (xG). Twice in the first half, Jude Bellingham had good opportunities from crosses but headed his efforts too centrally. Kane fired a low shot when he found space at an inswinging corner, but goalkeeper Mpasi showed great reactions to save. All in, they had five big chances before half-time but went in 1-0 down.Defending the box is the other aspect. DR Congo’s goal came about from a two-v-one overload on Djed Spence and a switch of play. Yoane Wissa missed an excellent chance to make it 2-0 when his first-time shot from a low cross clipped the outside of the post.This Mexico attack is built around Raul Jimenez in the same way England are organised to create for Kane. Jimenez thrives at the back post and from crosses, which means centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi, a novel partnership, need to be at their best.Liam TharmeWhy the referee got it right with Kane penalty callKane only has himself to blame: by dragging his left foot into the onrushing goalkeeper, he created doubt in the referee’s mind, and his penalty claim was waved away.On first viewing, England fans — including me — were no doubt screaming ‘penalty’ at their TV screens, and many referees would have agreed.There is a good case for one, as goalkeeper Mpasi undoubtedly makes significant contact with Kane, and there is no way the VAR would have recommended a review had Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh pointed to the spot.However, Kane goes to great lengths to ensure that contact occurs, plants both feet on the ground and falls theatrically — all clues to the referee that the England striker was having him on. Fair play to Makhadmeh for standing strong.Had Kane carried on running as normal, he may have been brought down anyway — and earned the penalty he craved — or he might have reached the ball and rolled it into the empty net. I wish he had.Kane escaped a yellow card, despite DR Congo players urging the referee to take action. The referee was right as yellow cards for simulation are rarely awarded when there is contact, but reserved for out-and-out dives.Former Premier League referee Graham ScottWho is DR Congo’s superb goalkeeper?Born in Paris to Congolese parents, Mpasi has spent his entire career in France, starting at US Torcy, where Paul Pogba and Randal Kolo Muani also played in their youth careers. He caught the eye of Paris Saint-Germain before making the majority of his professional appearances for Rodez in the French second tier.He has largely been used off the bench last season for Le Havre in Ligue 1, but has been the undisputed No 1 for his country for almost three years. This was surely up there, along with a sensational display against Colombia last week, as one of his finest shot-stopping days.Mpasi made three stunning saves in the first half, two to deny Bellingham from close-range headers. He readjusted his feet brilliantly after a deflected cross from Bellingham in the second half, while he was brave to throw himself in front of a thumping volley at the near post from Kane, hardly flinching as the ball cannoned off him and away.(Reuters/Paul Childs)Against Colombia, he made eight saves, springing across his goal to deny four shots from range, only beaten late on by an agonising deflected strike.He will be hugely frustrated to have not kept out Kane’s late header, flapping slightly at the ball as he reached with his outstretched right arm. He had no chance for the eventual winner, blasted into the roof of the net by one of the greatest ball-strikers in world football.But that his game went anywhere near extra time was a minor Mpasi miracle in itself.Thom HarrisDid Tuchel’s confidence come back to haunt him?In his pre-match press conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last night, Thomas Tuchel was very clear about what he expected from DR Congo.“They are very compact, a very physical and well-drilled team — probably in 5-3-2, sometimes 5-diamond-1 (5-1-2-1-1),” he said. “Off the ball, they are disciplined; they change between high press and low block. They are very dangerous on counters, very direct in their approach, not shy to play long balls into depth and make it a running game, make it into second balls.”On that basis, the limited time England had to scout their opponents — as they didn’t know which third-placed side they’d face — didn’t seem to be too much of a problem.The actual problem, though, was that DR Congo didn’t play like that at all. They played in a 4-1-4-1, and in the early stages they took the game to England, dominating the opening exchanges. There were few long balls, few counters, no real sign they wanted to make it as scrappy as Tuchel had expected.That culminated in their opening goal, when England seemed unsure of DR Congo’s shape and who was supposed to be picking up Cipenga at the far post.From then on, DR Congo’s approach — if not their formation — was more like what Tuchel predicted, defending deep and playing a little more direct. But Sebastian Desabre’s approach surprised England, and that enabled them to take a shock lead.Michael CoxWhere was England’s defence for the first goal?Most pessimistic England fans will have been concerned about DR Congo’s ability to hit quickly on the break, but Desabre’s side had controlled close to 73 per cent of the ball before they opened up England on seven minutes to take a shock lead.They moved the ball nicely across defence before Chancel Mbemba picked out a pinpoint cross-field pass to the goalscorer Cipenga. England’s 4-4-2 defensive block was stretched across the pitch by DR Congo’s in-possession shape, with five players positioned across the back four.That overload caused problems at the back post — Spence followed Noah Sadiki’s run into the box, and the right-back couldn’t recover in time to close down Cipenga’s shot.It was a fierce strike into the near corner, and although questions always have to be asked of a goalkeeper beaten at their near post, the speed at which the ball was struck probably gives Jordan Pickford a slight exemption.Instead, it was the defensive organisation — failing to reshuffle to pick up the spare man — that ultimately opened up the chance.Thom Harris