Harry Kane’s late brace against DR Congo keeps England’s World Cup campaign alive and draws fresh comparison with Lionel Messi from Anthony Gordon, after a dramatic 2-1 comeback at Atlanta Stadium that also pushed the Bayern Munich forward higher in several all-time scoring lists and deepened Kane’s case in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.

The England captain struck twice in the closing stages, becoming the first England player to hit a World Cup knockout brace since Gary Lineker’s double against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-finals, and Kane’s fifth goal of this tournament moved level with Erling Haaland, with only Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who each have six, scoring more so far.

Kane’s two goals against DR Congo raised the striker’s World Cup total to 13, moving past Pele on 12 in the competition’s all-time rankings, and only Lionel Messi on 19, Mbappe on 18, Miroslav Klose on 16, Ronaldo Nazario on 15 and Gerd Muller on 14 now stand ahead of the England captain in that historic table.

Across all World Cups, since debuting in the 2018 edition, Kane now has 16 goal involvements, combining goals and assists, and that figure is bettered only by France star Mbappe with 22, while Argentina captain Messi has 19, underlining Kane’s impact during major finals, especially in knockout matches for England.

Kane is also delivering at a similar level in the broader tournament picture, with 10 goals in 11 knockout appearances at major international competitions since Euro 2020, which is three more than any other European player over that span, placing the England captain ahead of Mbappe, who has contributed seven strikes in those high-pressure fixtures.

Kane arrived at this World Cup after a prolific first campaign with Bayern Munich, recording 68 goal involvements in all competitions, made up of 61 goals and seven assists, and that total was 20 more than any other player competing in Europe’s top five leagues, highlighting the consistency that has carried into England duty.

“It’s amazing to be around him every day because when you’re around someone at the elite level, he’s at the very, very top of football, Gordon said of Kane. He’s having a season that’s only ever been beaten by Leo Messi, the greatest footballer of all time. So that speaks to the level he’s playing at. When you’re around someone like that, you want to pick up as many habits and watch everything he does to see why he’s at that level. It’s no accident. It’s consistency every day: how hard he works, every finishing drill, he does it with passion, he does it with seriousness. He never, ever misses a beat. It’s amazing to be around him. He’s definitely an inspiration to all of us.”

Harry Kane World Cup comeback against DR Congo

The match itself required a recovery from England, as Thomas Tuchel’s side fell behind in the seventh minute when Brian Cipenga scored for DR Congo, and the equaliser did not arrive until the 75th minute, when Kane met an Anthony Gordon cross with a precise header to level the round-of-16 tie at 1-1.

With four minutes remaining, Kane then located the top corner with a composed finish to complete the turnaround, and that decisive strike came from Gordon’s build-up work as well, meaning the substitute winger finished with two assists and became the first England player in World Cup history to contribute directly to more than one goal after coming off the bench.