Wayne Rooney warns England of woes after Congo win

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has issued a stark warning about his national team's World Cup prospects, declaring they face a "big trouble" exit unless urgent defensive problems are addressed before their next match. Rooney's blunt assessment followed England's narrow 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in their round of 32 match on Wednesday, a performance he described as riddled with structural issues.

England required two late goals from captain Harry Kane in the final 15 minutes to overcome a Congolese side they were heavily favored to beat. The team fell behind early, conceding a goal to Brian Cipenga in the seventh minute, which Rooney attributed to poor defensive decision-making. Speaking as a pundit for the BBC after the match, Rooney pinpointed a lack of cohesion across the pitch. "The connection isn't great between the backline and midfield, the fullbacks are struggling," he said. "There are just no connections and big gaps in the middle of the pitch and that is a big worry for me."

Rooney, England's all-time leading scorer, expressed particular concern about the right-back position, highlighting Djed Spence's difficult performance. He suggested...