Southgate's changes spark England over Wales as Rashford enters Golden Boot race

AL RAYYAN, Qatar -- England defeated Wales 3-0 astatine the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium connected Tuesday to apical Group B, mounting up a circular of 16 necktie adjacent Sunday against Group A runners-up Senegal.

Gareth Southgate's broadside scored doubly successful 2 minutes aft a goalless archetypal fractional arsenic Marcus Rashford fired successful a superb 50th-minute free-kick earlier Phil Foden slotted location from Harry Kane's pass.

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Rashford past added his 2nd connected 68 minutes arsenic Wales' archetypal World Cup quality successful 64 years ended successful a radical signifier exit for the archetypal clip astatine a large tournament.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid Reaction

1. England beforehand with Southgate's changes paying disconnected

Sometimes a alteration tin bash you good. Gareth Southgate was expected to freshen up his England squad aft a lacklustre showing against the United States and helium made 4 alterations, drafting successful Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker.

A subdued opening 45 minutes followed wherever England were erstwhile again blameworthy of moving the shot excessively slowly, though Wales acceptable up with a debased antiaircraft artifact and constricted ambition, determined to enactment successful the crippled arsenic agelong arsenic possible. England came retired with greater intent successful the 2nd fractional and it was Rashford who provided the spark from a dormant shot situation, smashing a 50th-minute free-kick past Danny Ward, who volition regret taking 2 tiny jumps to his close arsenic the shot flew to his left.

The clamour for Foden's inclusion had been wide and helium justified those calls with a well-taken 2nd to fundamentally termination disconnected Wales' hopes with truthful overmuch clip remaining that Southgate was capable to remainder cardinal players with Sunday's crippled against Senegal successful mind.

And aft Southgate was criticised for his in-game absorption against Wales, it should beryllium noted Foden's extremity was successful portion the merchandise of Rashford and the Manchester City winger switching flanks moments earlier.

2. Kane doesn't request to people to deliver

Harry Kane is up against it successful his tendency clasp the Golden Boot helium won 4 years agone successful Russia but it hardly matters to England astatine the moment. There was a statement backmost past that England's hopes of advancement rested mostly connected Kane's objective finishing but that is not the lawsuit with 2022 England fixed the fig of attacking options either broadside of him.

After 2 assists successful England's opening triumph implicit Iran, helium turned supplier erstwhile again with a superb walk for Foden's goal, collecting the shot from Rashford and sending implicit a perfectly weighted transverse to the acold post. Earlier successful the match, Kane could person had different assistance with a cute done to Rashford successful the opening 10 minutes.

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Kane's fittingness has been debated ever since helium picked up a ft occupation against Iran but the 29-year-old looked sharper present and volition payment from the remainder afforded him, replaced by Callum Wilson aft lone 57 minutes.

It volition irritate Kane that helium has not recovered the nett yet successful Qatar, specified is his relentless appetite for goalscoring, but his wide publication has inactive been captious arsenic helium becomes the archetypal England subordinate since David Beckham successful 2002 to assistance connected 3 goals.

3. Wales exit with a whimper, but Bale to support playing?

It would beryllium bittersweet if 1 of the champion players of the past decennary went retired similar this. Speculation persisted that Tuesday could beryllium Gareth Bale's past quality successful a Wales shirt. It could yet beryllium the last lucifer of his full vocation fixed it is presently unclear whether helium returns to LAFC successful February, though helium remains nether declaration with the MLS Cup champions done astatine slightest June 2023.

The 33-year-old has been making affirmative noises astir playing with Wales until Euro 2024 and helium affirmed arsenic specified aft Tuesday's game, and possibly the vexation astatine the deficiency of interaction successful these finals could stoke a occurrence wrong him. He was moving connected fumes here, touching the shot conscionable 7 times successful the opening 45 minutes, completing lone 1 pass.

It was nevertheless a astonishment erstwhile manager Rob Page withdrew the winger astatine half-time fixed helium is ever susceptible of a infinitesimal of genius. Within 5 minutes, Rashford had enactment England successful beforehand and Wales' contention was run.

There volition besides beryllium question marks implicit Aaron Ramsey's planetary aboriginal fixed his subdued individuals displays; the erstwhile tireless Nice midfielder turns 32 successful December and looked disconnected the gait for overmuch of this tournament.

Player ratings

Wales: Ward 5, N Williams 5, Mepham 6, Rodon 6, B Davies 6, Allen 6, Ampadu 6, Bale 4, Ramsey 5, James 5, Moore 5.
Subs: Roberts 6, Johnson 6, Morrell 6, Wilson 6, Colwill 6.

England: Pickford 7, Walker 7, Stones 7, Maguire 7, Shaw 7; Henderson 7, Rice 7, Bellingham 8, Foden 8, Kane 8, Rashford 8.
Subs: Alexander-Arnold 6, Phillips 7, Wilson 7, Trippier 6, Grealish 6.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Marcus Rashford, England.
His brace was the item of an energetic show successful which helium joined Enner Valencia, Kylian Mbappe and Cody Gakpo arsenic tourney top-scorers.

WORST: Gareth Bale, Wales.
Not lone incapable to transportation the hopes of a federation but hardly looked susceptible of running, presumably owed to injury.

Highlights and notable moments

Some nifty footwork determination by Marcus Rashford connected his 2nd extremity connected the night, the archetypal clip he's ever scored a brace for England.

ANOTHER GOAL FOR MARCUS RASHFORD 🔥🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/pWcUpT0tuw

With 3 goals scored truthful acold astatine the World Cup, the Manchester United prima is making a lawsuit for the Golden Boot.

After the match: What the players and managers said

England's Marcus Rashford connected his 2 goals, to BBC One: "Moments similar this, this is what I play shot for. The biggest moments, the champion moments. I'm blessed we are going done to the adjacent circular of the tourney due to the fact that I person monolithic ambitions for this squad and I deliberation we tin play adjacent amended than we did today."

Wales skipper Gareth Bale connected his future: "We didn't rather unrecorded up to our expectations successful this tournament. We haven't played precise well. ... I volition support going arsenic agelong arsenic I tin and arsenic agelong arsenic I americium wanted. We spell again successful March [for Euro 2024 qualifying]."

Wales manager Robert Page connected Bale's aboriginal night: "He was struggling during the archetypal fractional with his hamstring and would lone person been 70% acceptable for the secondhalf and we needed everybody astatine afloat strength, truthful it was the close determination for the squad to instrumentality him disconnected and helium accepted that."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- England go the seventh broadside to people 100 World Cup goals, joining Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, France and Spain.

- Harry Kane leads each players astatine the World Cup with 3 assists. The victor of the Golden Boot astatine the 2018 World Cup (six goals), Kane besides leads each players crossed the 2 tournaments successful extremity contributions with nine.

Up next

Wales: The Dragons' archetypal World Cup run since 1958 is present complete, finishing past successful Group B. The squad is retired of enactment until a trio of Euro 2024 qualifying matches (vs. Croatia, Latvia, and Armenia) successful March.

England: As winners of Group B, the Three Lions are adjacent successful enactment against Group A runners-up Senegal connected Sunday successful the circular of 16.