Rashford helps England crush Wales
England are only in danger of being eliminated if they lose to Wales by four goals or more. Based on the strength of the two teams, this possibility is almost impossible. Coach Gareth Southgate therefore did not hesitate to change up to four positions in the starting line-up. The duo Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford both left their mark, when starting in attack instead of Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka. Rashford scored twice, in the middle was Foden's goal.
The level difference allowed England to control the ball 74% in the first half, although Wales needed to win to progress. The 0-0 draw after the first 45 minutes was considered a success for Gareth Bale and his teammates, when they were suffocated at the end of the half. Foden, Kane and Rashford all had chances, but either missed goal or failed to beat goalkeeper Danny Ward.
When Gareth Bale was substituted after the break, the 33-year-old probably understood that his time in the World Cup was over. Wales did not show any hope in competing for the next ticket, and England did not hide their intention to top the table to avoid the Netherlands in the 1/8 round. "Three Lions" accelerated at the beginning of the second half and got two goals in a row.
From a distance of more than 20 meters, Rashford took a free kick into the high corner, opening the score. This was also the first free kick goal of the 2022 World Cup. Two minutes later, Harry Kane took advantage of a mistake to lose the ball of Ben Davies, creating a cross for Foden to score. Kane is the first player to assist three times in a World Cup since David Beckham in 2002.
Immediately after England took the lead by two goals, coach Gareth Southgate pulled out the pillar to rest and gave opportunities to elements who had not been on the field in the previous two matches, such as Kalvin Philips or Trent Alexander-Arnold. But this does not affect the match of the white shirt team. In the 68th minute, Rashford completed a double with a speeding phase, turning his foot and then hitting the corner of the foot to defeat Danny Ward. Rashford is the first Man Utd player to score three goals for England at a major tournament, since Bobby Charlton in the 1966 World Cup.
The score could be stronger than 3-0 if England save their chances for the rest of the match. Wales rose up at the end of the game, but only created waves through a few shots from distance. For the first time in their participation in major tournaments such as the Euro or the World Cup, Wales did not win a match.
England won 7 points, topping Group B. In the round of 16, they will meet the second team of Group A, Senegal. In the match at the same time, the US defeated Iran 1-0 to finish second in the group. The United States team will meet the Netherlands in the first knockout round.
