England secured their place in the World Cup knockout stages with a crushing 3-0 win over Wales.
Marcus Rashford’s two goals and midfielder Phil Foden’s first goal of the tournament gave England fans a reason to cheer on Tuesday night, as they now face Senegal in the second round on Sunday evening.
This match was hardly exciting as the Three Lions had a good chance of progressing to the knockout rounds unless there was a complete disaster.
After a lackluster performance against the United States on Friday, it was important for Gareth Southgate and his players to put in a performance that England fans would be proud of.
Wales needed to win by four goals, while the USA or Iran needed to win another match in the group stage to ensure England were eliminated. With Wales clearly not much help, the only question left was whether England would finish first or second in the group.
Gareth Bale was forced off at half-time with an injury. He was often the driving force behind Wales’ progress to their first World Cup since 1958, but he looked unwell throughout the 45 minutes.
Jordan Pickford had a very quiet evening in the England goal. The only time he struggled was when Joe Allen’s shot deflected off Harry Maguire and then veered off. The Everton keeper was sharper than ever and turned quickly to push the ball away from danger.
Marcus Rashford started the game and his first chance came in the first half when he chased down Harry Kane’s perfect through ball. The United star, who had been substituted for the suspended Wayne Hennessey, tried to lift the ball over the advancing Williams, but the goalkeeper beat him.
Rashford broke the deadlock with a superb free-kick from 25 yards out five minutes into the second half. The ball was swept out of the centre on the edge of the box and the striker lifted it over the wall and into the corner of the net.
A minute later, England doubled their lead when Phil Foden completed a brilliant move. Marcus Rashford picked up a loose ball in the final third of the Wales goal and played a short pass to Harry Kane.
Kane took the ball to the byline on the right wing and crossed it perfectly over the bar. Foden made no mistake and put the ball into the back of the net.
Rashford added his second goal of the game in the 68th minute.Day Minutes. After collecting the ball over the top of the Welsh defence, Rashford cut inside from the right wing, mis-kicked a defender and slotted the ball between Williams’ legs.
The Three Lions now advance to the second round and face Senegal on Sunday evening. They are joined in the knockout stages by the United States, who beat Iran with a single goal from Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic.
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