Rashford gives a goal to his friend who has just passed away

"I give the goal to my bad friend," said Rashford after scoring twice to help England beat Wales 3-0 to continue to the top of Group B. The Man Utd player said this friend helped and advised him many things in life, but died of cancer just a few days ago.

Coach Gareth Southgate insists he does not know about Rashford's private story. He only ranked the 25-year-old player in the main squad based on tactical calculations. Rashford previously came on from the bench in the first two matches, when England beat Iran 6-2 and drew the US 0-0.

Rashford played aggressively against Wales and could have scored a hat-trick. "With the number of chances given, it is clear that Rashford can score more goals. But his form today was too great for us," added Southgate. The 52-year-old coach said he met Rashford in the summer to listen to his students, after he experienced a disappointing previous season with Man Utd.

With a brace against Wales, Rashford became the first Man Utd player since the legendary Bobby Charlton in 1966 to score three goals in a World Cup. He arrived in Qatar in good form for Man Utd, scoring eight goals and assisting three times in 19 games.

British media said that Rashford caused coach Southgate to face a headache when choosing a squad to play in the 1/8 round with Senegal on December 5. Besides Rashford, England have many attacking players on the flanks such as Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.