Harry Kane, England's captain and star striker, continued his remarkable run of records, writing a new chapter in his career during his country's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Kane rescued England from the nightmare of an early World Cup exit, leading his side to overturn a deficit against the Democratic Republic of Congo and secure a precious 2-1 victory in the round of 32.
England had appeared to be heading towards one of the tournament's biggest upsets after conceding an early goal, with repeated attempts thwarted by the brilliance of Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who denied more than one clear-cut chance.
But Kane, England's captain and top scorer, stepped up in the decisive moment, equalising with a header in the 75th minute before snatching the winner with a powerful strike in the 86th minute to completely turn the match around.
Kane once again embodied his reputation as one of the world's foremost strikers of the past decade, pulling his country out of a difficult situation and guiding them to a round-of-16 meeting with Mexico.
Kane achieved a string of records with his two goals against the Democratic Republic of Congo, taking his tally to 5 goals at the 2026 World Cup and keeping himself in contention for the Golden Boot. He is level with Erling Haaland, one goal behind the leaders — Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappé — who each have 6 goals.
Kane also continued to make history in the same match, achieving a feat no English player had accomplished before, raising his tally to 13 goals at World Cup finals to move into sixth place, behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo the Brazilian, and Gerd Müller.
Kane surpassed the record of Brazilian legend Pelé, who had scored 12 goals, and equalled the mark of Frenchman Just Fontaine, advancing his standing among the all-time top scorers in World Cup history.
The English striker also raised his combined club and country tally to 71 goals for the season, continuing the exceptional scoring levels that have made him one of the most consistent forwards in world football.
Kane's brilliance comes at an ideal moment for England as the tournament enters its knockout stages, with coach Thomas Tuchel counting on his captain's experience to decide the big fixtures amid the intensifying battle for the title.