England's progression to the last-16 of the World Cup was met with a critical response from Daily Mail readers, who awarded low player ratings following a narrow 2-1 victory over DR Congo. Despite captain Harry Kane's late brace securing the win, six members of the squad received average scores below 4.5 out of 10.
Marcus Rashford was the lowest-rated player, scoring an average of 3/10. The winger struggled to influence the game from the left flank and was substituted shortly after the hour mark. Fellow winger Noni Madueke also received a low score of 4.3/10.
England's defense also drew significant criticism. Djed Spence was rated as the lowest defender at 3.8/10, with center-backs Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi receiving 4/10 and 4.5/10, respectively. Left-back Nico O'Reilly was the highest-rated defender with a 4.9/10. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was rated 4/10, facing scrutiny for the goal conceded.
The midfield pairing of Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice received middling scores of 5.9/10 and 5.8/10. Rice was moved to right-back late in the match before being substituted in the 90th minute, apparently due to cramp.
Jude Bellingham, another starter, scored 6.4/10. He had early opportunities to equalize but was also cautioned in the first half. The second-highest rating was awarded to substitute Anthony Gordon, who scored 7.1/10 for his impactful performance off the bench.
Gordon provided the assists for both of Kane's crucial goals. Kane himself was the highest-rated player overall, with an average score of 8.7/10 for his decisive late double that secured England's passage to the next round.
Other substitutes, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka, received scores of 5.3/10 and 5.6/10, respectively. The performance highlighted England's struggles for much of the match, with Kane's late intervention ultimately saving the team from a potentially embarrassing result.