Picture : Harry Kane has now scored 20 goals for England at major tournaments (13 at the World Cup and 7 at the Euro).
World Cup 2026 Statistics – Day 21 (July 1) – Round of 32
England vs DR Congo 2-1
*England won a World Cup match after trailing at halftime for the first time in history.
*England have won a World Cup match after conceding the opening goal for only the second time in their history, also doing so in the 1966 final against Germany (4-2).
*It was the third knockout stage match England have won after coming from behind in World Cup history, including also:
3-2 vs Cameroon (Quarter-final) where England opened the score and then were 1-2 down.
*England have never lost to an African nation in a World Cup knockout game. Two previous cases:
3-2 vs Cameroon (1990)
3-0 vs Senegal (2022)
*England have never lost to an African team at the World Cup overall: 6 wins, 4 draws.
*England have not lost any of their last 15 competitive matches:
3 in Nations League (3 wins)
8 in World Cup qualifiers (8 wins)
4 in World Cup matches (3 wins and 1 draw)
They suffered last defeat in October 2024: 1-2 vs Greece at Wembley.
*DR Congo opened the scoring in a World Cup match for the first time in history.
*Eight of the ten African nations (including DR Congo now) have lost their first-ever World Cup knockout stage match.
The exclusions: Cameroon won in 1990; Senegal won in 2002.
*Brian Cipenga scored the second-fastest goal (on 7th minute) by an African team in a World Cup knockout stage match, behind:
Kevin-Prince Boateng for Ghana against the USA on 26 June 2010 (5th minute).
*Harry Kane has now scored 20 goals for England at major tournaments (13 at the World Cup and 7 at the Euro).
Among European players, only Cristiano Ronaldo (24 goals) has scored more.
The next are: Miroslav Klose 19, Kylian Mbappé 19, Gerd Müller 18.
*Kane increased his World Cup tally to 13, surpassing Pele (12) and equaling Just Fontaine. They share 6th position in the competition’s all-time goalscorers’ ranking.
*Kane has now 5 knockout-stage goals for England at the World Cup; he surpassed Geoff Hurst (4) and has only Gary Lineker (6) ahead of him.
*Kane is the first player to score a brace for England in a World Cup knockout stage match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon on 1 July 1990.
*Kane is now the joint-third players with the most headed goals in World Cup history (4), level with Kocsis, Szarmach, Skuhravy and Klinsmann.
Miroslav Klose (7) and Gerd Müller (5) are ahead.
*Kane is the player with the joint-third fastest brace (11 minutes, from 75th to 86th) to turn a match from losing to winning in a knockout stage game in World Cup history, level with:
Leônidas (Brazil), vs Sweden (1938, semi-final) – 11 minutes (from 63rd to 74th),
and behind:
Eusébio (Portugal) vs North Korea (1966, quarter-final) – 4 minutes (from 57th to 61st),
Alfred Körner (Austria) vs Switzerland (1954, quarter-final) – 8 minutes (from 26th to 34th).
*World Cup 2026 has already 4 players with 5+ goals (Messi 6, Mbappe 6, Kane 5, Haaland 5).
Only one edition in XXI century featured as many players scoring 5+ goals:
2010 (David Villa, Wesley Sneijder. Thomas Müller, Diego Forlán, each 5)
*Kane has scored already 72 goals (club + senior national team) in the 2025-26 season: joint-second highest seasonal tally for players from top 5 European leagues in history, along with Gerd Müller in 1972-73.
The record holder is Lionel Messi: 82 goals in 2011-12
*Anthony Gordon became the first player to provide 2 assists as a substitute in a knockout stage match in World Cup history.
*Gordon became the first England player in World Cup history to be directly involved in more than one goal as a substitute.
*Kane is the 2nd English player who scored a brace with both goals assisted by the same team-mate (Gordon) in a knockout stage match in World Cup history, after:
Jeoff Hurst in the 1966 final vs Germany (2 assists by Bobby Moore).