Harry Kane saved England from suffering one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by scoring twice late on to drag them past DR Congo and into the round of 16.
England fell behind early to a strike from winger Brian Cipenga and responded well in the first half only to be repeatedly denied by inspired goalkeeping from Lionel Mpasi.
They appeared to run out of ideas after half-time before a double substitution from Thomas Tuchel triggered a fightback, as Anthony Gordon and the move of Declan Rice to right-back provided the platform for a comeback.
Kane first headed in from a Gordon cross in the 75th minute before firing home a powerful shot on the angle 11 minutes later after the same player had provided the opportunity.
The England captain's stunning finish was his fifth of the tournament, moving him within a goal of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
More importantly it saved his nation from embarrassment after what was a frankly terrible performance that leaves plenty of questions ahead of their next match at the iconic Azteca, where Mexico have lost only twice competitively in history.
That fixture takes place at 01:00 BST on Monday.
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
Outright previews
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
