Jordan Pickford criticism and the Kane penalty row after England beat Congo DR

Joe Hart and Alan Shearer were the loudest voices after England's 2-1 win over Congo DR, and both pointed straight at Jordan Pickford's role in B. Cipenga's opener. England had never won a World Cup match after trailing at half-time before this game, with 2 draws and 7 defeats in 9 previous instances. VAR also checked the Harry Kane incident and upheld the on-field decision, leaving no penalty awarded.

Pickford under the spotlight

Hart's view on BBC One was that Pickford's body weight was slightly leaning left, which left him short when Cipenga finished to the keeper's right. Shearer was even blunter, saying that for a goalkeeper of Pickford's quality, he should not be beaten at his near post. The England vs Congo DR game backed up how exposed he looked, with Pickford making only one save and finishing on a 6.2 rating.

The criticism should be kept in that frame. No one is saying Pickford alone cost England the game, but the opener was the moment that drew most of the post-match heat and it came against a Congo DR goal that exposed a bad starting position.

The penalty debate around Kane

Hart said on BBC that he would expect the contact on Harry Kane to be given, while Darren Cann said the VAR room was split, two thinking it was a penalty and two thinking it was not. Cann's point was that it was not clear and obvious enough to overturn the on-field call, even though he personally thought it was a penalty.

Wayne Rooney was on the other side, saying Kane tripped himself a bit and jumped into the goalkeeper a little bit, so it probably was not a penalty. That split summed up the night well. The decision stood, Kane did not get the spot-kick, and then he scored twice in the second half anyway.

Kane's brace took England through the noise, but the debate over the opener and the penalty check is what will be remembered from the first half in England vs Congo DR.