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2 min readJul 1, 2026 09:51 PM IST
Congo's Brian Cipenga (9) celebrates after scoring during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between England and Congo in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
England and the footballing world in general were left shocked when DR Congo’s Brian Cipenga fired the African nation into the lead after just 7 minutes in their Round of 32 encounter on Wednesday.
Injuries had been mounting for England, which is missing its first- and second-choice right backs for the round of 32 game against Congo.
Reece James is out with a hamstring injury and backup Jarrell Quansah twisted his ankle in England’s 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday.
It could see Djed Spence move over from the left to cover, but coach Thomas Tuchel is confident James and Quansah will both soon return — so long as England can advance beyond Congo.
“They’re getting closer and closer,” Tuchel said. “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 is playing in the knockout round of the World Cup for the first time. It already held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in the group stage and beat Uzbekistan to advance.
“It is true we are looking at a difficult match, but in no way insurmountable. We have proven this against teams that were supposed to be superior to us, that we could actually put in a good performance,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “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.”
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Bukayo Saka, who came into the tournament carrying an injury, is fit to start, Tuchel said.
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