Kane found the net in two different ways - both of them vital - to overturn a 1-0 deficit and set up a clash with co-hosts Mexico on Sunday. Yet it should not have been this difficult.
England want to win a World Cup, have a manager in Thomas Tuchel who is regarded as being one of the best tacticians on the planet, and have enough talent in key positions to compete with anyone. But they will have to show so much more in future games to be considered genuine contenders.
"We kept the belief, and I think even in second half we kept pushing, pushing, pushing. Their goalkeeper kept on making incredible saves, so things stayed difficult, but this team today did not accept the defeat as an outcome," Tuchel said.
It's very difficult for the stadium in Atlanta to fall quiet due to its closed dome amplifying even the slightest bit of chatter. But the pre-match buzz was certainly siphoned inside seven minutes when DR Congo scored, a ball to the far post finding Brian Cipenga, who had time to bring it down, consider his angles, and smash past Jordan Pickford at the near post.
The rest of the first half was not without drama. England found something resembling rhythm as Jude Bellingham had two headers smartly saved and Marcus Rashford saw an effort cleared off the line. There was also a moment of real controversy when Kane rounded the goalkeeper and appeared to be clipped inside the box. The referee, though, waved away his protestations.
After the half-time break, England's momentum from the end of the first half rather faded. Rashford hit the side-netting and Bellingham forced a another nice save, but otherwise, it was a real struggle for Tuchel's team.
Kane changed things. His first goal was tidy enough, a gentle nod into the bottom corner from an Anthony Gordon cross. His second, though, was spectacular, a shuffle and smack from the edge of the box that left the 'keeper rooted to the ground.
"Our captain is our leader, and decides football matches with unbelievable finishes today, twice. The second one was just a brilliant goal," Tuchel said.
This all did little to disguise the fact that England once again made life difficult for themselves. DR Congo are the 46th best side in the world, according to FIFA rankings; England, supposedly, are fourth. That gulf in class really should have been apparent - no matter how resilient Congo were in defence.
England, then, remain alive, yet they need to show so much more if they want to beat the very best over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Atlanta...
