With one decisive thump of Harry Kane’s right boot, England’s blushes had been spared.
Despite flirting with disaster against DR Congo, a place in the last 16 of the World Cup was secure.
That England were wholly unimpressive for large spells of the contest in Atlanta was beyond question, yet they somehow found a way to dig it out.
Kane’s heroics, netting the equaliser before lashing in a stunning winner with five minutes to play, also continued a trend in this World Cup.
Whatever your views on the tournament and the expanded format, there can be no doubt over the quality being produced by some of the best forwards on the planet.
The cream has certainly risen to the top and Kane’s brace against DR Congo on Wednesday provided a fresh layer of intrigue in the race to win the golden boot.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is joint-top scorer in this year’s World Cup with six goals
Kylian Mbappe also has six goals in this year’s World Cup and has dazzled for France
Some of world football’s most exalted talents are setting a ferocious pace and delivering big moments in big games when their country needs them most.
We are now heading into the sharp end of the tournament and there is an argument that this is the finest collection of goalscorers ever assembled in a single World Cup.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe lead the way on six goals, with Messi reaching that total after just three games whilst Mbappe did it after four.
Now 39 years of age, and seeking to win a second successive World Cup with Argentina, this is likely to be Messi’s valedictory parade on the global stage.
He has already claimed the mantle of becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. He may not be as explosive as he once was, but his quality and importance to Argentina remain undiminished.
Watching Messi over these past couple of weeks has been a joy; a true master of his craft, playing the game at his own pace, picking his moments when to strike and cause maximum devastation.
With France, Mbappe remains the focal point of the most complete team in the tournament. His electric pace and lethal finishing ability yielded two goals in a 3-0 win over Sweden in the last 32 earlier this week.
When it comes to Mbappe and the World Cup, few players have sustained such brilliance across consecutive tournaments.
In 2018, whilst still a teenager, he scored four goals across the tournament and was instrumental in France lifting the trophy.
England’s Harry Kane netted a double against DR Congo and has five goals at this World Cup
Erling Haaland is another superstar to impress. He has five goals for Norway in the World Cup
In 2022, he won the golden boot with eight goals. That included a stunning hat-trick in the final, only to be denied by the brilliance of Messi as Argentina won on penalties.
The fact that France and Argentina are in opposite sides of the draw in this year’s tournament raises the delicious prospect of another Messi vs Mbappe final.
But they are not alone in this tournament. Kane and Erling Haaland are breathing down their neck on five goals apiece, with Ousmane Dembele and Vinicius Junior once goal further back on four.
It is a quite stupendous collection of talent. It can often feel cliched to talk about big players delivering in big moments, but this World Cup has undoubtedly been proof of them doing exactly that on the grandest stage of all.
In the long and storied history of the World Cup, could this yet prove to be the greatest year of all in terms of goalscoring and the golden boot?
Haaland’s physical presence and predatory instincts have illuminated Norway’s progress, with Brazil now standing in their way on Sunday night.
Either he or Vinicius Jnr will fall out of the race when they clash in New Jersey and, whilst Brazil will start as favourites, few would be willing to predict the outcome with any certainty.
To have so many of the world’s top strikers delivering these kinds of numbers, are they all operating at the peak of their powers or is it some kind of freakish anomaly?
The structure of the expanded 48-team tournament has certainly played its part. The quality of the group stage was diluted.
Instance France’s 3-0 hammering of Iraq, where Mbappe scored twice. Haaland also helped himself to two goals against the same opposition in a 4-1 win for Norway.
Messi also came off the bench to score against the minnows of Jordan. For Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in a 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan, although those remain his only two goals of the tournament thus far.
Brazil’s Vinicius Jr can’t be discounted in the Golden Boot race. He has four goals to his name
But the new format is only part of the equation. The fact remains that the vast majority of the star players in this World Cup are firing on all cylinders.
Could we see the record broken for the most goals scored in a single tournament? Just Fontaine still holds the record for that, with 13 goals for France back in 1958.
It is a mighty tall order to reach that total. But, especially in the cases of Mbappe and Messi, it would be foolish to rule it out.
France play Paraguay in the last 16 and would then face the winner of Canada versus Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Argentina face Cape Verde in the last 32, with either Egypt or Australia awaiting in the last 16. Should they progress, they would then take on Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana in the quarter-finals.
As long as they stay fit, there is every chance that Messi and Mbappe could have hit double figures by the time they reach the semi-finals.
Given how kind the draw has been to both France and Argentina, it’s clear why so many people feel the final could be a repeat of that witnessed in Qatar four years ago.
It is actually fairly rare for anyone to do the double in terms of winning the World Cup whilst having one of their players also winning the golden boot.
Only three times has it happened before; Mario Kempes and Argentina in 1978, Paolo Rossi and Italy in 1982, and Ronaldo and Brazil in 2002.
For all the flaws of this World Cup and legitimate gripes we may have, no one can dispute that it has delivered spectacularly in terms of its star names living up to top billing.
Messi and Mbappe lead the race, but Kane, Haaland, Dembele and Vinicus are hot on their heels. By any estimation, it is quite a collection of talent.
