England survived a major scare against DR Congo to book their place in the last-16 of the World Cup, but the nature of the performance has led to a series of scathing player ratings from Daily Mail readers.
Captain Harry Kane’s stunning late double came to the rescue as Thomas Tuchel’s side earned a 2-1 win, after Brian Cipenga’s seventh minute opener for DR Congo.
Unsurprisingly, Kane was the highest rated England star by Daily Mail readers after his double, top scoring with an 8.7/10 average.
England’s struggles prior to the late Kane show have been reflected by six members of the team scoring below 4.5 on average.
Marcus Rashford was the lowest scorer among readers with the winger given an average rating of 3/10.
Rashford had struggled to make an impact on the left wing against his former Man United team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Marcus Rashford was the lowest rated player by Daily Mail readers after England’s 2-1 win over DR Congo
Harry Kane top scored after rescuing England as his late double booked their place in the last-16
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He was replaced just after the hour mark alongside fellow winger Noni Madueke, who was given a 4.3/10 average rating.
England’s defence was heavily critiqued by readers with Djed Spence ranked lowest at 3.8, with centre backs Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi not faring much better on 4 and 4.5 respectively.
Left back Nico O’Reilly was the highest rated of the back four, but still came in with a low rating of 4.9.
Readers were also unimpressed with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has faced criticism for failing to keep out Cipenga’s shot at his near post.
Pickford was rated at 4/10 by readers.
There were middling rankings for England’s midfield pairing of Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice at 5.9 and 5.8/10 respectively.
Rice would ultimately end up at right back for England in the closing stages of the match as Tuchel’s side looked to come from behind, before he was replaced in the 90th minute after apparently suffering from cramp.
Jude Bellingham was the highest scoring England starter, other than Kane, having scored 6.4/10.
Djed Spence was among the England defenders to receive low ratings following the match
Anthony Gordon was England’s second highest rated player after impressing from the bench
Bellingham had come close to bringing England level during the first half having seen two efforts superbly saved by DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.
The No10, however, was also booked in the first half for a lunging challenge as England’s frustrations grew.
Readers reserved the second highest score to substitute Anthony Gordon, with the winger rated as 7.1/10 after making a telling contribution from the bench.
Gordon provided the assist for both of Kane’s goals, with the winger providing the perfect cross for the England captain to head in for the equaliser.
While Gordon found Kane on the edge of the box for the second, the winner was all about the striker’s ability, as he found space on the edge of the box before ruthlessly firing into the top of the DR Congo net to send England through.
Tuchel’s other substitutes to receive ratings, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka, came in at 5.3 and 5.6 respectively.
Daily Mail Sport’s Craig Hope also offered his England player ratings following the match, which you can read here and also offer your scores.
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