England are through.

Not with swagger.

Not with total dominance.

But with the kind of narrow, tense, uncomfortable victory that knockout football often demands.

England 2. DR Congo 1.

And when the moment came, Captain Marvelous, Harry Kane, showed up.

This was not England at their most fluent. Congo were brave, physical, disciplined and refused to be intimidated by the occasion. They made England work for everything.

But knockout football is not always about beauty.

Sometimes it is about nerve.

Sometimes it is about experience.

Sometimes it is about having one player who understands the weight of the shirt and the responsibility of the moment.

That player was Harry Kane.

For all the questions often asked about England, Kane remains their great guarantee. He gives them calm. He gives them leadership. He gives them goals when the game begins to tighten.

England needed him.

And he answered.

This result also reinforces what we said before the tournament. England are contenders, but not yet convincing favourites. They have enough quality to go deep, but they still make games more nervous than they should be.

The bigger picture is also interesting.

Our Round of 32 predictions have held up very well so far. Canada, Brazil, Morocco, Norway, France, Mexico and England have all gone through as predicted.

The only major miss so far is Germany, who fell to Paraguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw. That was the real shock. Germany had looked like one of the strongest teams in the tournament, but knockout football does not forgive hesitation.

So far, our prediction record remains strong.

But England must improve.

Mexico awaits in the Round of 16.

That will not be easy.

Still, with Harry Kane in this mood, England will believe.

And so will many others.