England will begin their World Cup knockout campaign against DR Congo at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Thomas Tuchel’s side aiming to book a place in the last 16 after topping Group L.
Although the Three Lions finished first in their section, their displays did little to completely win over their critics. DR Congo, meanwhile, earned their place in the knockout rounds after progressing as the highest-ranked third-placed team.
Match Preview
England approached their final group-stage encounter with Panama already assured of qualification after favourable results elsewhere in Group L. Even an unlikely defeat would not have prevented the Three Lions from advancing.
Nevertheless, Tuchel’s men still needed a positive result to guarantee first place ahead of Croatia and Ghana. They eventually secured top spot, although another sluggish opening period left plenty of room for improvement against a Panama side they famously defeated 6-1 at the 2018 World Cup.
Despite lacking their usual attacking fluency during the group stage, England remain firmly in contention. History shows that flawless performances are far from essential for lifting football’s biggest prize, with only Uruguay (1930), Italy (1938), Brazil (1970) and Brazil (2002) winning the World Cup while maintaining a perfect record across normal and extra time.
Tuchel also continues to enjoy an outstanding start to life as England manager. The German has overseen 11 competitive matches without defeat, recording 10 victories and one draw. Only Ron Greenwood, who went 16 competitive games unbeaten between 1977 and 1980, and Roy Hodgson, who managed 14 between 2012 and 2013, have put together longer unbeaten starts in competitive fixtures, excluding penalty shootouts.
While England have yet to face significant adversity in the tournament, DR Congo have already shown their fighting spirit. After recovering from a deficit to earn a draw against Portugal in their opening match, Sebastian Desabre’s side produced an even more impressive comeback against Uzbekistan to seal qualification.
The Leopards fell behind inside the opening 10 minutes through Eldor Shomurodov’s strike but dominated after the interval. Yoane Wissa scored twice, with Fiston Mayele also finding the net, as DR Congo stormed to a memorable victory and secured a historic place in the knockout stage.
Playing under the name DR Congo at a World Cup for the first time, the Leopards have reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history. Their only previous appearance came in 1974 as Zaire, when they suffered three defeats and exited at the group stage.
Desabre’s men finished one point behind Portugal in their group and advanced as the strongest third-placed side after collecting four points and ending the group phase with a positive goal difference, exceeding many pre-tournament expectations.
Victory over England in what will be the nations’ first-ever meeting would earn DR Congo a last-16 tie against either Mexico or Ecuador. Should they continue their remarkable run, a quarter-final showdown with five-time world champions Brazil could await.
