The Harry Kane bet Richie Wellens tried to place at Leyton Orient revealed after England heroics | OneFootball

The former O's loanee was the Three Lions' hero yet again in Atlanta

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 now in the knockout stages, millions across England were left feeling major relief on Wednesday afternoon as Harry Kane's double completed a dramatic turnaround against DR Congo in the round of 32 at Atlanta Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel's side hadn't looked overly convincing in their final group stage match against Panama in New Jersey last weekend, but set up the tie against the African nation - who finished third in Group K behind Colombia and Portugal - after topping Group L ahead of Croatia.

However, it was, for at least the first 45 minutes and slightly beyond, an extremely below-par and frustrating watch for many, especially after Jordan Pickford was unable to stop Brian Cipenga's seventh-minute opener as the winger was left free to drill a low effort past the Everton man.

With a glut of chances, some of which were passed up despite the Three Lions forwards getting themselves into strong scoring positions, or well saved by Lionel Mpasi, it certainly felt that it wasn't going to be England's day in terms of luck.

That was, of course, until Kane's equaliser 15 minutes from time through his header from substitute, Anthony Gordon's cross, before leathering a powerful effort past Mpasi 11 minutes later to seal a passage into the round of 16 against Mexico at the famous Azteca Stadium, which will kick off at 1AM UK time on Monday.

It has been well-documented that as many as 20 of the current squad at Tuchel's disposal have, at some point, plied their trade in the Championship, League One and League Two, or for clubs who now reside in the EFL.

Kane's rise to stardom at Tottenham Hotspur, and now Bayern Munich, came after loan spells with the likes of Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.

And, while the nation is certainly in a buoyant mood after Wednesday's win, O's boss, Richie Wellens, may be slightly gutted that the club's social media 'admin' didn't back their former striker in a pre-tournament bet.

Richie Wellens, Harry Kane bet footage emerges as ex-Leyton Orient man fires England into World Cup round of 16

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Kane, 32, is now into his sixth major tournament with the Three Lions, and became the country's leading scorer across all major tournament finals with his strike against Panama, surpassing Gary Lineker's prior total of 11.

With his two goals against DR Congo, the captain has also overtaken the World Cup goal tally of Brazilian great, Pele, netting 13 across 15 matches at the tournament since his debut against Tunisia eight years ago, in which he also bagged a brace.

That said, while the main target for Kane would be to lift England's first major honour since 1966, he will also have one eye on the Golden Boot race, which is packed with star names already.

At present, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are tied on six each, while Kane is level as second-highest scorer alongside Erling Haaland.

However, before the tournament had even begun, Wellens revealed his confidence that the former Orient man will eventually top the scoring charts.

"I would say Harry Kane for the Golden Boot," he said. "And, if you (social media admin) want a £20 bet, I'll have it with you that he gets more than (Igor) Thiago!"

Clearly 'unimpressed' by the admin's decision not to shake on the bet, he added: "Ohhh Thiago, Thiago!"

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Kane spent the second half of the 2010/11 League One season at Brisbane Road as Orient missed out on the play-offs by one point behind now-established Premier League side, AFC Bournemouth.

During that timeframe, the striker netted five goals in 18 appearances, which was an extremely respectable tally for a maiden loan spell in the EFL away from Spurs.

As such, those who watched the forward during the infancy of his senior career will be extremely proud of him, and the staff associated with the East London club at the time for helping aid the development of England's all-time leading scorer.

It is also no real surprise that Wellens is confident Kane can win the Golden Boot, having already done so once in the 2018 tournament with six goals, even though it is abundantly clear that a significantly higher tally will be needed this time around.