World Cup shocker? Not so fast. England holds on for 2-1 win over Congo

Like Cape Verde stunning Spain with a 0-0 draw in Atlanta’s opening World Cup match and Congo clinching its first-ever knockout round bid here, supporters like Mario Florez, 47, felt as if he was about to witness another African milestone.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

“England didn’t think they were up against a big fight. They slept early, Congo scored; we were ecstatic,” he said.

Supporters for both squads had to wait until the second half for more goals. Kane, England’s captain and all-time leading scorer, delivered an equalizing header on an assist from sub Anthony Gordon in the 75th minute.

“They were just too much in the second half. The onslaught from England was crazy,” said Florez, who is Colombian but has been rooting for the record 10 African nations at this World Cup.

About 11 minutes later, the tandem of Kane and Gordon struck again. Kane took a pass from Gordon inside the box and sent a bullet into the near post. England went up 2-1 and held the lead for the final minutes.

Ahead of the match, London natives Patrick Moran, 27, and Barney Crawford, 26, were confident — to a point. The friends were outside Brewhouse in South Downtown dressed as knights of the crusade to honor St. George.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Like many England fans in town, Moran and Crawford are anxious about facing Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday and a potential quarterfinal showdown with Brazil.

“I’m nervous about Mexico next round. If we can get through that, I’ll be happy,” Crawford said.

And then what?

“I think we get to the quarterfinals and then Brazil unfortunately knock us out,” Moran said.

For Congo, a dream run comes to an end, but those close to the squad are excited about the future.

Joshua Bellini is a Congo native living in Houston. He’s been covering the national team for 22 years. He’s been doing his best to follow the team in the U.S. For the entire first half, he sat in a press box chair motionless, fingernails sandwiched between his teeth.

At halftime, he warned his fellow journalists, “Be careful” about sleeping on Les Leopards. Bellini has his own YouTube show, “L’Analyste,” and podcast where he covers African football, specifically Congo.

Ultimately, his country would not become the first African nation to defeat England in a World Cup. He blames the loss on a lack of tournament experience and Congo’s manager, Sébastien Desabre, for not making halftime adjustments to account for England’s aggressive attack.

Despite being proud of his team’s first time reaching the knockout stage, Bellini reflected on challenges other Congolese journalists and the team have experienced playing in America.

“It’s been tough because we are not that organized like the modern countries. We’re doing this with less means; we don’t have the finances to follow them as we should be. But at the end of the day, we’re happy for them to a part of this,” he said.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Noticeably absent from today’s action was Congo superfan and symbol of hope, “Lumumba Vea.” According to Bellini, Lumumba will be back.

“Next time, Lumumba will be there,” he said.

By “there,” he means the 2030 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. This tournament, Congo emerged from their group by playing heavyweight Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo to a 1-1 draw and thumping Uzbekistan 3-1.

Despite the loss in the knockout stages, the world, Bellini said, is now on notice when it comes to Congolese football.

“They will respond next time. Give us time and then we’ll be back in four years,” he said.

Next for England is a date with Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday at 8 p.m.

On deck for Atlanta Stadium is a round of 16 matchup between the winners of Argentina-Cape Verde and Australia-Egypt, on Monday, July 7 at noon.

Programming producer Kimberly Johnson contributed to this report.