England needed 'best striker in the world' to beat Congo, says coach

Congo's coach Sébastien Desabre acknowledged that England relied on their star striker, Harry Kane, to secure a comeback victory in their World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match. England advanced to the next stage after defeating Congo 2-1, with Kane scoring in the 75th and 86th minutes to overturn Congo's 10th-minute lead.

“

We used a third system and it worked well, the 3-5-2 worked quite well, especially in the offensive phase. We created chances that made England doubt. They had to resort to the best striker in the world to come back. We did what we had to do and we were close. This is already a victory in itself.

"We used a third system and it worked well, the 3-5-2 worked quite well, especially in the offensive phase. We created chances that made England doubt," Desabre said in the post-match press conference. He added, "They had to resort to the best striker in the world to come back. We did what we had to do and we were close. This is already a victory in itself."

“

When you represent your country's national team, you have to leave something, and everyone has seen today that Congolese football has reached a good level.

Despite the disappointment of elimination, Desabre expressed pride in his team's performance throughout the tournament. "When you represent your country's national team, you have to leave something, and everyone has seen today that Congolese football has reached a good level," he stated. He noted that Congo scored five goals and conceded five throughout the competition, playing well against four nations ranked significantly higher: Colombia, Portugal, Uzbekistan, and England.

“

We are disappointed because we are leaving the World Cup. We have scored 5 and conceded 5, and we have played a good World Cup against four teams that are much higher in the world rankings.