It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t very pretty.
Watching England labour through a hard and stressful 90 minutes against DR Congo was enough to put anybody off their Wednesday dinner.
But all that matters is that Thomas Tuchel’s England are through to the last 16 of the World Cup, to face Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning in the white heat of the Azteca Stadium – where the co-hosts have lost just twice in 89 competitive matches, winning 70 of them.
Their journey goes on, and here Daily Mail Sport examines all the big issues from a crazy afternoon in Atlanta.
The performance we needed?
If England couldn’t have the dominant and comfortable performance we hoped they could against a team ranked just above Scotland, then maybe this represents a useful second-best.
A come-from-behind win can do all kinds for a team. Just think about how Brazil will be feeling after they turned it round against Japan at the weekend. Just think how Erling Haaland and his Norway team-mates will be feeling after a late winner in a tight game against Ivory Coast.
It wasn’t pretty – but Harry Kane’s double ensured England have a place in the last 16
A come-from-behind win can do all kinds for a team. This is a little bit of what England will have now, the feeling that whatever goes wrong in a game, it can be overcome
This is a little bit of what England will have now, the feeling that whatever goes wrong in a game, it can be overcome. That can be very valuable fuel. England conceded a bad goal, almost shipped another, had a clear penalty ignored and then saw the DR Congo goalkeeper have the game of his life.
England were not at their best and could have folded. They were ragged at times. But England kept their heads and their belief and ensured that their quality and their experience got them through in the end. The coaches of Germany and the Netherlands would give an awful lot for some of that feeling as they settle back at home and await, in all likelihood, the sack.
Tuchel was right when he said after this one: ‘We have to have that mindset that if it is getting hard, it is getting hard, but don’t lose patience and don’t lose belief.’
Can Kane’s legs last?
Harry Kane has been on the pitch for all but six minutes of England’s tournament so far and they were only six that didn’t matter, as Tuchel’s side closed out their 2-0 win over Panama in their final group game.
When England need presence and when England need a goal, he stays on, and usually is the man to deliver. At the moment his form is the best it’s ever been in a big tournament. He has five goals – only one less than Kylian Mbappe – and the winner he scored here was straight out of the great France forward’s playbook.
Wayne Rooney called him England’s ‘superstar’ and he isn’t the only former team-mate singing that tune.
‘When his back is to the wall, Kane is stepping up for his country,’ said Joe Hart on the BBC. ‘I love the aggression and fire in his face. He knows that wasn’t a good performance but when it needed to happen he produced a header in front of goal and then that last finish.’
What Tuchel must hope now is that Kane’s legs stand the pace. England will need him in the rarified atmosphere of Mexico City in the next round and that will represent a completely different test to the one England faced here.
When England need presence and when England need a goal, Kane (left) stays on, and usually is the man to deliver
Defence still out of tune
The broken record is still turning in the middle of England’s back four.
The defensive structure and understanding that has been a feature of England’s football under Tuchel has not travelled with them to America and the manager and his coaching staff are no closer to solving the problem. Tuchel – publicly at least – has been in denial about it but he can’t be any longer. The early Congo goal was a mess.
Why had the England defence allowed itself to be dragged over to one side of the field? Why didn’t Jordan Pickford save a routine shot low to a near post that should have been covered?
Pickford’s uncertain tournament goes on but his place in the team remains secure. The other two goalkeepers in the party – James Trafford and Dean Henderson – do not have enough international experience to be dropped in to this team.
There were other instances of vague panic, too. Centre-back pairing Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa were left shouting at each other after Yoane Wissa got between the two of them to prod Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross against a post moments before Kane had his big penalty appeal at the other end. Had that one gone in from the Newcastle striker, England’s World Cup would have been over.
Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi were all over the place at times against Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa
One-dimensional attack
England created enough chances here in Atlanta but the worry is that they all look the same. Until making a bit of a mess of Kane’s equaliser, the Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had a worldy. On another day, England would have been level before half-time.
Equally, there has been a predictability about England’s attacking play at this tournament and it involves a series of overlaps and combinations between England’s full backs and wingers. It is as though England only have one idea – they put in 35 crosses from open play in this match, their most for 60 years in a World Cup match since a whopping 37 against Mexico in the 1966 group stage.
Where is the creativity further infield? Where are the neat passing moves needed to open up defences happy to sit in against the established nations in this World Cup? We haven’t seen Brazil and France rely only on balls from wide positions, so why should England?
Tuchel’s team – jeered at times by their own fans here – dominated possession but the truth is that when Congo did advance forward, they had a greater depth of ideas than their famous opponents.
Twice against Panama and here, finally, against Congo, England scored from a cross. That’s fine. It’s a strength. But they must have other ideas too.
Anthony Gordon puts in one of England’s 35 open-play crosses in Atlanta – their most in a World Cup match for 60 years
Tuchel’s dilemmas
Does the England manager know what his best team is? With everybody fit, he probably does. But currently, with first, second and third-choice right backs injured, I am not at all sure.
After playing John Stones slightly out of position in the first game – he played him on the left side of a central pairing – he has completely ignored him. Despite the option of shifting Ezri Konsa across to right back and putting Stones back in, he went with Djed Spence again here and it backfired.
The Tottenham full back has pace to burn getting forward but it’s not enough. Spence doesn’t defend well enough to be an international full back and should not start a game in this tournament again. He just has too much to learn.
Here, after Tuchel made some timely and intelligent substitutions, we ended up with Declan Rice at right back and he then ended the game sitting on the bench applying ice to his left hamstring. There is a thought that Reece James may be fit enough for the Mexico game. My goodness, we hope so.
Djed Spence doesn’t defend well enough to be an international full back and should not start a game in this tournament again
Jude Bellingham’s lunge on Nathanael Mbuku in the first half was late and reckless and fully deserving of the yellow card that followed
Best and worst of Jude
Jude Bellingham remains England best and most dangerous player here in America. He, along with Kane, is the one who looks as though his sheer will and force of personality can shape a game or a big moment.
Here also, however, were flashes of the Bellingham we hoped had been left behind. His lunge on Nathanael Mbuku in the first half was late and reckless and fully deserving of the yellow card that followed. Not long after, as frustration grew, he played a ball straight out of play and then started waving his arms at the team-mate it had been intended for. Maybe he was asking him to grow a foot?
We have said before that Bellingham is at his best when he plays on the edge. The problem with that is that over the other side of that edge lies trouble. With a minute of added time left, he gave away a completely unnecessary free-kick.
Lessons to be learned for everyone, no matter who you are.
