England fans fume as BBC coverage cuts out during DR Congo match

The BBC experienced a brief but unexpected technical glitch on Wednesday evening during their coverage of England's World Cup Round of 32 knockout match against the Democratic Republic of Congo at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia. The interruption occurred just moments into the second half as the Three Lions launched a dangerous attack, leaving viewers with a black screen for a couple of seconds.

England had fallen behind in the seventh minute through Brian Cipenga's strike, and when BBC's coverage resumed, the score remained at 1-0 in DR Congo's favour. The momentary blackout sparked widespread anger on social media, with fans voicing their frustration. "I'd turn it off as well," one viewer joked, while another wrote "BBC what was that?" A third questioned "Did everyone miss that England chance on BBC or was my TV just bugging?" Another sarcastically commented "And the feeds gone nice one BBC."

The technical failure capped off a controversial first half that had already left England supporters seething. The Three Lions were denied what appeared to be a clear penalty when Harry Kane burst into Lionel Mpasi's box late in the half. Kane was seemingly brought down by the goalkeeper, prompting immediate appeals from manager Thomas Tuchel and the team, but referee Adham Makhadmeh awarded a free-kick to DR Congo instead, accusing Kane of diving.

VAR reviewed the incident but sided with the official's decision. A BBC pundit providing commentary disagreed with the call. "There's contact, there's no doubt," the analyst stated. "That for me is a penalty. Harry might make the most of it but the keeper has come out and his hands are there. If he's going to come rushing out like that and leave his arms there as a forward, you've got every right to make connection with those hands and go down. I thought that was a penalty."

The match represented the first-ever meeting between England and DR Congo in international men's football, with DR Congo competing in only their second World Cup and their first-ever knockout stage appearance.