Kane Passes Pelé, Balogun Sees Red and Belgium Stage a Miracle — World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Recap

By Sportsoya | July 2, 2026

World Cup 2026 round of 32 delivered the kind of drama that reminds you why knockout football is the greatest format in sport. Harry Kane passed Pelé in the all-time scoring charts. Folarin Balogun scored and got sent off in the same game. Belgium came back from 2-0 down with four minutes left to win in extra time. And England, once again, barely deserved to survive.

Wednesday was a day that had everything. Here is the full breakdown.

England 2-1 Congo DR — Kane to the Rescue, Again

For 74 minutes England were appalling. Disorganised, toothless, clinging on against a Congo DR side that had every right to believe they were about to pull off one of the great World Cup upsets.

Brian Cipenga gave Congo DR the lead in the seventh minute finding space in a shambolic England backline and rifling a shot past Jordan Pickford at his near post. It was a goal that exposed everything wrong with England’s defensive shape and set the tone for an uncomfortable afternoon.

Jude Bellingham was England’s only real creative threat forcing four saves from the exceptional Lionel Mpasi throughout the match. Marcus Rashford was poor, replaced before the hour mark. Noni Madueke’s failure to track back contributed directly to Congo’s opener and he offered little going forward. Yoane Wissa hit the post from four yards out with England’s goal at his mercy a moment that could have ended the Three Lions’ tournament entirely.

Then Thomas Tuchel made his substitutions. Anthony Gordon came on with half an hour to play and changed everything delivering the cross that Harry Kane headed home on 75 minutes to equalize, then laying the ball back for Kane to unleash an unstoppable finish from the edge of the area four minutes from time.

Two assists. Off the bench. In a World Cup knockout game. Gordon was sensational.

But the night belonged to Kane. His header brought him level with Pelé on 12 World Cup goals. His second put him past the Brazilian legend entirely 13 goals in the World Cup, sixth on the all-time list, one behind Messi and Mbappé in this year’s Golden Boot race.

“What a crazy game,” Kane told the BBC after the final whistle. “After that first hydration break I thought we upped the level. We just kept pounding the rock and our moments came.”

England are through. They face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in the round of 16 on July 5. But Tuchel knows, and everyone watching knows, that this team needs to be dramatically better if they are to go further in this tournament.

How Congo DR Can Be Proud

Before moving on it must be said Congo DR were magnificent and deserved far more than the exit they received.

They created the better chances for large parts of the game. Mpasi was extraordinary in goal. Wissa tormented England’s backline for 90 minutes. Samuel Moutoussamy controlled the midfield tempo.

Congo DR came to this World Cup 2026 after 52 years away, won their first ever World Cup game, reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history, and then pushed England to the absolute limit before losing to two Kane moments of individual brilliance. As we have seen throughout this tournament from Ivory Coast pushing Germany to the limit to Morocco’s stunning group stage run African football continues to prove it belongs at the highest level.

USMNT 2-0 Bosnia — Balogun’s Red Card Steals the Headlines

Across the country in Santa Clara, the USMNT were navigating their own drama against Bosnia and Herzegovina and doing it with ten men for the final 26 minutes.

Folarin Balogun opened the scoring before halftime, rolling the ball under the goalkeeper to give the US the lead. Then in the 64th minute he was gone a straight red card following a VAR review for stepping on defender Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle. Balogun looked shellshocked. It was, at minimum, a harsh decision.

The controversy didn’t end there. Balogun becomes only the fifth American to receive a red card at a World Cup and the first player from any country to score and receive a red card in the same knockout game since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final. He is now suspended for the round of 16 clash against Belgium.

Playing with 10 men, the USMNT dug deep. Tim Ream and Chris Richards were immense in defence composed, commanding, winning every aerial battle against a large and physical Bosnian attack. Then Malik Tillman stepped up in the 82nd minute and curled a stunning free kick past the wall and into the net.

2-0. Game over. First USMNT knockout win in 24 years.

“One man’s down, the next guy steps up,” Richards said after the game. “We’re more than just one player.”

Losing Balogun for the Belgium game is a significant blow he is the tournament’s joint-second top scorer with three goals. Pochettino will need to find answers quickly.

Belgium 3-2 Senegal — The Most Dramatic Comeback of the Tournament

If England vs Congo DR was dramatic, Belgium vs Senegal was something else entirely.

Senegal were the better team for 85 minutes. Ismaïla Sarr was outstanding hitting the woodwork twice before creating the first goal for Habib Diarra and scoring the second himself emphatically to make it 2-0. Belgium were dreadful. Kevin De Bruyne was a shadow of his former self. Charles De Ketelaere was anonymous. Senegal deserved to be winning and looked set to progress.

Then came four of the most extraordinary minutes in World Cup history.

Romelu Lukaku on since halftime but largely ineffective stole in at the near post to make it 2-1 with four minutes remaining. Three minutes later Youri Tielemans headed home a Leandro Trossard cross to equalise. 2-2. Chaos in Seattle.

Extra time failed to separate them until a VAR-awarded penalty in stoppage time Tielemans winning the spot kick with a clever run, then converting it himself to send Belgium through 3-2.

For Senegal it was the cruelest of exits outplaying a major European nation for 85 minutes only to lose on a stoppage-time penalty. Their tournament is over. Belgium face the USMNT without Balogun in the round of 16.

As we wrote in our preview of Africa’s biggest World Cup night, Senegal arrived in the United States with genuine ambitions. They leave having shown quality they will need to build on for the next tournament.

The Round of 16 Picture Taking Shape

Wednesday’s results paint a fascinating picture for the last 16:

• England face Mexico at the Azteca a daunting atmosphere test for a side that barely deserved to get through
• USMNT face Belgium without their best striker a major blow to Pochettino’s plans
• Belgium go through despite being outplayed for most of their knockout game not the form of champions

The World Cup 2026 knockout rounds are delivering drama at every turn. Wednesday was proof that no lead is safe, no result is guaranteed, and no team however good is immune from a comeback.

Follow Sportsoya for daily World Cup 2026 match reports, player ratings, and analysis.