ATLANTA ― Harry Kane was a lighthouse in a storm Wednesday, July 1, a beacon of hope when all else failed.
No matter how unnerving England's match against DR Congo became in Atlanta, Kane never yielded. He was calm, poised, brilliant, even, and when the Three Lions needed a hero, the 32-year-old dug deep, pulling out a World Cup rescue mission. Kane unleashed a masterful performance when the waves of defeat were rapidly crashing in.
DR Congo stunned England with an early goal in the 7th minute, leaving Kane and every Three Lions fan at Mercedes-Benz too stunned to speak, rubbing their heads in confusion. Les Léopards carried a 1-0 lead into halftime behind a defensive masterclass from goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. Yet something shifted after the break. England began to slowly wear DR Congo down with its pressure and its advances. The once unflappable defensive wall DR Congo put up came tumbling down with one inexplicably wondrous Kane header in the 75th minute.
Daylight.
"As soon as he hit, I knew it was going in. I was already celebrating," forward Anthony Gordon, who ***** isted Kane twice, on Wednesday.