England hero Marcus Rashford insists Gareth Southgate’s side have ‘massive ambitions’ in Qatar after demolishing Wales… as Three Lions star dedicates impressive double to a close friend who died from cancer
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England roared into the World Cup last 16 as group winners last night by sweeping aside Wales in a Battle of Britain in Qatar.
After a nervy first half, Marcus Rashford’s thunderbolt free-kick put Gareth Southgate’s side in front on 50 minutes and just 93 seconds later Phil Foden tucked in Harry Kane’s cross for 2-0.
Rashford struck again on 68 minutes with England’s 100th World Cup finals goal to cap a glorious night for the Three Lions, as they sealed top spot in Group B and booked a date with Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday night — the first time they have ever faced the African nation.
England forward Marcus Rashford claims the squad have ‘massive ambitions’ in Qatar
The striker scored a brace during England’s 3-0 win over Wales in their final group stage game
The Manchester United star dedicated the goals to a friend who’s passed away recently
‘Moments like this are what I play football for,’ said Rashford. ‘The biggest and best moments. I’m really happy we are going through to the next round, we have massive ambitions for this team.’
Rashford’s two goals moved him into a tie for the lead in the Golden Boot race on three, alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe, Ecuador’s Enner Valencia and Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands.
The Manchester United forward dropped to his knees and pointed to the sky in celebration after his first goal and revealed afterwards that it was a tribute to a friend who died this week.
‘I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago,’ said the 25-year-old, who was named man of the match. ‘He had quite a long battle with cancer. I’m pleased I scored for him, he was a big supporter and good friend of mine. He was someone who came into my life.’
Rashford stands with his Player of the Match trophy after netting a brace against Wales
Rashford and Foden were two of four changes to the starting line-up as Southgate shuffled his pack needing to win to guarantee top spot. And the England head coach hailed two-goal hero Rashford for sticking at it after being a substitute in the first two matches.
‘It’s great for him,’ said Southgate. ‘He has trained really well, been really impressive since he came back in with us.
‘He could have had a hat-trick with the chances that he had. The free-kick is what he’s capable of, an incredible strike.’
England were cheered on by an army of fans at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, and Southgate was delighted to hear their support.
Both Rashford and Phil Foden (R) were surprise inclusions in the England starting line-up
‘I’ve played in front of England crowds like that,’ he said. ‘It’s an amazing feeling when you hear them in such numbers when you consider how far they’ve had to travel.
‘It’s a nice night for us, a big game with a lot of pressure but we were calm and showed our quality. In the second half, once we got the two goals we knew Wales’ spirit had probably gone. We kept our discipline and quality throughout.’
Wales head coach Rob Page insisted he was proud of his side after they finished bottom of Group B with just a single point and one goal in their first World Cup for 64 years.
The Three Lions will now play Senegal in the round of 16 after topping Group B in Qatar
‘It’s very tough at this moment,’ said Page.
‘I won’t hear a bad word about those players, they were exceptional. It was a massive effort from the group, I couldn’t be prouder.
‘My message to our supporters is don’t be disappointed. Getting to the World Cup is an unbelievable achievement.’
Wales manager Rob Page said the country’s elimination is ‘very tough at this moment’
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