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Three of the tournament's top favorites secured their spots in the round of 16 of the on Wednesday, in a day marked by comebacks, drama, and a historic record: England, Belgium, and the United States overcame their respective challenges in the knockout stage and keep their hopes alive.
Harry Kane makes history as the Three Lions overcome the scare
England had to come from behind to defeat a resilient Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Brian Cipenga put the Leopards ahead in the seventh minute, and the African team—one of the great revelations of the tournament—held onto the lead for much of the match despite the English pressure.
It was Harry Kane who changed the course of the match with a decisive double: he equalized with a header in the 75th minute and sealed the comeback in the 86th with a powerful shot.
With those two goals, Kane reached 12 goals in World Cups, surpassing the historic record of Gary Lineker—10 goals—and becoming the highest-scoring English player in World Cup history.
Despite the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, the Africans were unable to maintain their lead. England will face Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday, July 5.
Belgium leads the comeback of the day
The most spectacular performance of the afternoon was by Bélgica, which came back from a 0-2 deficit against Senegal at Lumen Field in Seattle to win 3-2 in extra time.
Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr put the match on a difficult path for the Red Devils with goals in the 25th and 51st minutes, respectively.
When elimination seemed inevitable, Romelu Lukaku scored in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans equalized in the 89th to force extra time.
The climax came in the final moments of the second extra time: a VAR review indicated a penalty on Tielemans himself, who converted it for the definitive 3-2 and sparked Belgian celebrations.
Belgium will face United States in the round of 16, with the match scheduled for July 6 or 7 in Seattle.
The United States, with ten, continues to dream in front of its audience
United States confirmed its favoritism and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, though not without some surprises.
Under the direction of Mauricio Pochettino, Folarin Balogun scored the opening goal just before halftime, in the 45th minute, after having a previous goal disallowed for offside.
The forward was sent off in the second half with a second yellow card, leaving the hosts with ten players.
Far from complicating things, Malik Tillman sealed the match with a direct free kick in the 82nd minute, securing progression.
It is the first time since 2002 that the United States has advanced past the knockout stage in a World Cup, a milestone that comes at a time when the country is co-hosting the tournament alongside Mexico and Canada.
This Thursday's matches feature new contests in the round of 16: Spain faces Austria, Portugal takes on Croatia, and Switzerland meets Algeria, in a phase that continues to deliver excitement at the level of the largest tournament in history.
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