Down in Atlanta, England were rattled as DR Congo made it 1-0 in the 7th of Wednesday’s tie, with Cipenga making a goal of a lapse at the back. You could see Thomas Tuchel’s men having to reorganise after that first half hour, in a game they were all but given before it started.
How DR Congo struck first
There was no faffing about from the Congolese side. Chancel Mbemba chipped a ball over and into harm’s way, and England were left standing there for a moment.
Djed Spence couldn’t quite read it from the right and let Cipenga in on it. The finish was well placed, going in at the near post and leaving Jordan Pickford with nothing to do. It was a bit of a shock to the home fans and handed the underdogs the upper hand.
Selection setbacks shape England’s start
Injuries have been a thorn in England’s side, particularly on the right. Reece James is out with a hamstring problem and you can add Jarrell Quansah to the list; he torqued his ankle in the 2-0 over Panama on Saturday.
So you had to put Spence in to cover. And it led to other shuffles. Saka is fit, but Tuchel went with Madueke. Rice is back in the middle with Rogers on the bench – just trying to find your feet with the changes you have to make.
“They’re getting closer and closer,” was Tuchel’s take on James and Quansah. “The race was close even to make it into my squad this time. So we need to make sure that we have more matches. That is the main focus, and then that will be very soon.”
Congo’s momentum and mindset
You don’t see Congo in the knockout stages of a World Cup often, but they have been building confidence. They didn’t let Portugal have it in the group, holding them to 1-1, and put Uzbekistan away to get here. You can tell they are well-organised.
“It is true we are looking at a difficult match, but in no way insurmountable,” the coach put it. “We have proven this against teams that were supposed to be superior to us, that we could actually put in a good performance.”
“So we are focusing on our strengths, we are walking our path and once you get to this point in the competition, it’s difficult for everyone.”
Who started and what it means now
For England, it was Pickford in net, with Konsa and Guehi in the back. Bellingham has the job of feeding Kane and Rashford up top. Spence is at right-back, with O’Reilly and Anderson flanking Rice.
DR Congo have Lionel Mpasi in goal and a back four of Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe and Mbemba. In front of them, you have the likes of Masuaku, Mukau and Moutoussamy to support an attack with Cipenga and Wissa, plus some running room from Sadiki and Mbuku.
Here’s where we are:
– 7th: Goal for Cipenga
– The opening was set up by a Mbemba flick and a misjudgement from Spence
– No James or Quansah for England
– Congo come in off a 1-1 with Portugal and a win over Uzbekistan
The favourites have to put some pressure on and be better in those transition moments. Congo will want to put the brakes on and hit you when you leave a gap.
Tuchel was clear on the line before we started: he needs more games to get his key players back. If they can get past Congo, the window for that is still there. But after the early jolt, you have to be composed and answer back hard.
