Harry Kane’s brace keeps England alive as Golden Boot race with Messi, Mbappe and Haaland heats up

Harry Kane stepped up as England‘s savior once again, netting a dramatic second-half brace to orchestrate a stunning comeback victory over DR Congo in the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. By adding two more crucial tallies to his international resume, Kane has officially ignited the tournament’s Golden Boot race, firmly closing the gap on superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

Brian Cipenga initially shocked the Three Lions by hammering a powerful near-post strike past Jordan Pickford, and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka clearing a shot off the line while Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi made several spectacular stops, the African underdogs appeared on the verge of history. However, a towering header in the 75th minute followed by an astonishing right-footed blast inside the box in the 86th minute allowed Kane to single-handedly rescue England and punch their ticket to the Round of 16.

Earlier in the tournament against Panama, Kane cemented his status as England’s most prolific World Cup goalscorer by eclipsing Gary Lineker’s previous national record of 10 goals. Following his late-game heroics on Wednesday, the Bayern Munich talisman has continued to build on his legendary international resume, extending his career tournament tally to 13 goals.

Kane, who has accounted for five of England’s eight goals (62.5%) during this 2026 campaign, has now drawn level with Haaland in the tournament scoring race, leaving him just one goal behind co-leaders Mbappe and Messi. On the all-time global stage, the clinical forward is now tied with French legend Just Fontaine for sixth place in World Cup history with 13 goals, passing iconic figures like Brazil’s Pele (12 goals), Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis (11), and Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann (11).

Harry Kane’s goals against DR Congo

A pinpoint, inswinging cross from Anthony Gordon into the heart of the penalty area found Harry Kane, who utilized a brilliant off-the-ball run to lose his marker and power home a clinical equalizer.

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Moments later, Kane dropped deep to receive a pocket pass from Gordon on the edge of the 18-yard box, quickly shifting the ball onto his favored right foot before unleashing a thunderous strike into the back of the net for the 2-1 winner.

2026 World Cup Golden Boot race