England 0-1 DR Congo LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Last 32: Cipenga's Shot Explodes Into The Net

GOOOOAAAALLLLL! Shockwaves in Atlanta as the Leopards strike first to take a 1-0 lead over England! Chadrac Akolo—finding himself in acres of space after a magnificent, quarterback-style diagonal switch from captain Chancel Mbemba—capitalized on the defensive lapse. The Almeria winger controlled the ball with composure before lashing a low strike past Jordan Pickford at the near post. It is a historic maiden international goal for the forward, and it couldn't have come at a more crucial moment in this Round of 32 clash.

The Round of 32 clash between England and DR Congo is officially underway at the Atlanta Stadium. Following the pre-match anthems and the coin toss, England kicked off the proceedings, signaling the start of this highly anticipated knockout stage fixture. Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh is officiating the contest, overseeing a match that carries significant stakes: the winner will advance to the quarter-finals to face co-hosts Mexico. England, looking to capitalize on their Group L success, have started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation, while DR Congo seek to continue their historic tournament run in a 4-3-3 setup.

England is facing a significant defensive injury crisis ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match against DR Congo, with manager Thomas Tuchel deprived of his two primary right-back options. Reece James remains sidelined with a persistent hamstring injury, and his replacement, Jarell Quansah, has been ruled out after sustaining a nasty ankle injury in the final group-stage win over Panama. These setbacks follow the pre-tournament withdrawal of Tino Livramento, leaving the versatile Tottenham full-back Djed Spence as the expected starter to fill the void at right-back. Despite these defensive concerns, the remainder of the 26-man squad—including Declan Rice, who is managing his workload—participated in full training on Tuesday, providing a near-complete roster for the start of the knockout stage.

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• Live stream: Zee5

"It is the nature of knockout football. The match between Netherlands and Morocco sounds like a quarter or a semifinal, and Brazil against Japan is for sure worth a quarterfinal of any tournament because of the quality of the two teams.

"What it shows to me... Canada found a winner in stoppage time [against South Africa], Morocco equalised in stoppage time then it went all the way. Germany went all the way to penalties.

"I think it can calm us down in a way. It is just narrow margins. It is tight football matches and it helps us not to over-expect and put it in the right framework, what has happened in this World Cup.

"Teams are well drilled, teams defend on the highest level, teams are well prepared and it is difficult for any team to break teams down, especially when you arrive as favourite and face teams with nothing to lose. For me, it helps us to calm our minds, accept the situation and make the most of it."

England XI: Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane

DR Congo XI: Mpasi, Masuaku, Tuanzebe, Mbemba, Wan-Bissaka, Sadiki, Moutoussamy, Mukau, Cipenga, Wissa, Mbuku.

England

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

DR Congo

Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liege), Timothy Fayulu (Noah), Lionel ‌Mpasi (Le Havre).

Defenders: Dylan Batubinsika (Larisa), Rocky ⁠Bushiri (Hibernian), Gedeon Kalulu (Aris Limassol), Steve Kapuadi (Widzew Lodz), Joris Kayembe (Racing Genk), Arthur ⁠Masuaku (Racing Lens), Chancel Mbemba (Lille), Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United).

Midfielders: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow), Brian Cipenga (Castellon), Meshack ‌Elia (Alanyaspor), Gael Kakuta (Larisa), Edo ​Kayembe (Watford), Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Ngal’ayel ‌Mukau (Lille), Charles Pickel (Espanyol), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland).

Forwards: Cedric ​Bakambu (Real Betis), Simon Banza (Al Jazira), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids), Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United).