Sir Rashford carries England to the Round of 16

The player famously knighted by the queen for his service to vulnerable children in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic crisis, scores 2 and lifts the Lions to victory. A struggling Wales team were only able to contain the English attackers for the first half. After the break, English put on the gas and blew past Wales with an early Rashford freekick, swiftly followed by the concession of a second goal by Phil Foden. It was Marcus Rashford who scored the 3rd goal of the night, rubbing further salt in the wounds of a defeated Wales team.

England's starting XI against Wales

Before the fixture, there was a lot of scrutiny over Gareth Southgate's line-ups and substitutions. The England manager is typically firm in his beliefs regarding squad selection, however this lineup echoed some of the fan's voices. In the game against the USA, there was a strong argument that Phil Foden should have been present. There were further arguments that Rashford should be given more minutes despite his inconsistent club form. Gareth Southgate responded with a lineup that included both Rashford and Foden. England right back Kyle Walker and former captain Jordan Henderson were also introduced into the starting 11. Both Foden and Rashford proved why they deserve a spot in Southgate's starting 11 in the Round of 16 and beyond.

"It's a headache for us, who we pick next."

- Gareth Southgate

Phil Foden had a quiet first half with 2 shots wide off target, however his darting run back post fermented England's lead in the second half.

The impact of Phil Foden was undermined by the strong impact of Marcus Rashford. Rashford had an extra spring in his step till his departure off the pitch in the 76th minute. Rashford's freekick goal in the 50th minute didn't only lift the weight off the supporters, but himself. He explained that his celebration to the goal was in tribute to his friend Garfield Hayward who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer.

"Unfortunately, I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago," he said in a post-match interview.

"He's had quite a long battle with cancer, so I'm pleased I managed to score for him. He's always been a big supporter of mine. He was just a great person and I'm pleased he came into my life, really."

Incredibly, Marcus Rashford's freekick was the first direct free kick scored at Qatar 2022. Therefore, the last two such goals scored at World Cups are from England's players, following Kieran Trippier's shot against Croatia in the semi-final at Russia 2018. Kieran Trippier remains England's short free kick specialist, luckily for Rashford he wasn't a part of the starting 11. Although, it was definitely a freekick worthy of compliments from Trippier. Impressively, Rashford's freekick was only one of 4 shots on target for him and 7 for the team. The Lions were only capable of achieving 3 shots on target in their previous game against the USA.

Rashford and Foden's attacking contributions now puts Gareth Southgate in an uncomfortable position to decide the lineup for England's next match. The first goal which was initiated by a skillful Phil Foden run and a smashing free kick from Rashford has not gone under the radar of Gareth Southgate.

"Great run from Phil and fantastic quality from Marcus" as Southgate explains in a post-match interview.

It's clear Southgate has some big decisions to make in the next upcoming days. The England supporters will hope he fields an 11 strong enough to compete with the physicality and pace of an under-rated Senegal opposition on Sunday.

Author

Samuel Gentles