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Harry Kane scored twice in the final quarter-hour to drag England past a tenacious DR Congo side, 2-1, in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, sparing Thomas Tuchel's team from one of the tournament's great upsets.
An early strike from Brian Cipenga gave the Leopards a shock lead they held with remarkable composure until the 75th minute, when substitute Anthony Gordon's cross allowed Kane to head home the equalizer.
Four minutes from time, Gordon again fed the England captain, who drove a fierce effort into the roof of the net to seal a place in the Round of 16. England will next face Mexico in Mexico City on Monday, July 6.
DR Congo wasted little time announcing themselves. In the seventh minute, a long diagonal ball from defender Chancel Mbemba found Cipenga in space on the left flank, the Almeria winger having exploited poor positioning by right-back Djed Spence.
Cipenga jinked infield and drove a low finish past Jordan Pickford at his near post, his first senior international goal, in what proved the fifth-earliest goal England had conceded in World Cup history.
The goal rattled the Three Lions visibly. Jude Bellingham earned a yellow card after a reckless foul on Nathanael Mbuku, and it was not until the half-hour mark that England began to impose themselves, generating a string of blocked chances.
Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who had appeared in just four league matches for Le Havre this season, produced a string of outstanding saves, most notably tipping away a downward Bellingham header.
Wissa struck the right post on the counterattack, threatening to double the lead.
A penalty appeal from England when Kane went down under Mpasi's challenge before half-time was waved away by Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh, who also declined a VAR check.
England dominated the second half territorially, but Mpasi, a late stand-in between the posts, continued to frustrate.
He finished the match with five significant saves as England poured crosses into the box, producing 38 in tota, their highest volume in a World Cup match since 1998.
Tuchel introduced Bukayo Saka and Gordon from the bench in the 61st minute, the arrivals shifting England's attacking rhythm noticeably. Gordon, on course to join Barcelona at the end of the season, would go on to register two assists.
DR Congo were no passive victims. Meschack Elia, who plays his club football for Alanyaspor in Türkiye, tested Pickford after coming on as a substitute, and the Congolese continued to threaten on the break even as the clock wound down.
Their expected goals figure of 0.8 belied the genuine threat they posed throughout.
The breakthrough came after a hydration break, Gordon floating a left-sided cross to the back post where Kane peeled away from his marker to nod in at the near corner.
It was Kane's 12th World Cup goal in total. With England pressing desperately for a winner, Gordon received a reworked ball after Mpasi had parried a Bellingham effort, and found Kane on the edge of the area.
The captain, starting his 90th match as England skipper, the joint-most in the men's game alongside Bobby Moore and Billy Wright, smashed a rising shot into the top-right corner to make it 2-1 with four minutes remaining.
The goal was Kane's fifth of this tournament and his 13th across all World Cup appearances, extending his England record and, according to match reports, surpassing Pele's career total.
It also made him the first England player to score twice in a World Cup knockout match since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in 1990.
For DR Congo, the result ends a tournament that will nonetheless be remembered as a watershed moment. Competing as the DRC for the first time, the Leopards had never previously reached the knockout stage.
Their only prior World Cup appearance came in 1974, when the country played as Zaire and exited the group stage without scoring a goal, conceding 14.
Fifty-two years on, Sebastien Desabre's side drew with Portugal, defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 for their maiden World Cup win, and held England to one goal for 74 minutes in front of 68,239 spectators in Atlanta.
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