MARCUS RASHFORD celebrated his brilliant opener for England against Wales with a poignant tribute to a lost pal.
The Three Lions ace scored twice in the 3-0 win that sent Gareth Southgate’s side into the World Cup knockout stages.
His first was a stunning free-kick from range that gave Wales keeper Danny Ward no chance.
And Rashford celebrated the strike by kneeling down and pointing to the sky with his eyes closed.
Speaking after the game, Rashford revealed the celebration was in honour of a friend who sadly died just days before the match.
He said of his recent heartbreak: “Unfortunately I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago.
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“He’s had quite a long battle with cancer so I’m pleased that I managed to score for him.
“He’s always been a big supporter of mine, he was just a great person that I’m pleased to have come into my life really.”
Rashford now has his eyes on World Cup glory after helping the Three Lions to victory.
The 25-year-old claimed Southgate’s side have a squad “capable of challenging” for the entire tournament.
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When asked if his goal was the happiest moment of his career, Rashford responded: “I think for me winning trophies has always been the happiest moment on the pitch for me.
“I feel like the ambition in the squad is really good. We have a good mix of qualities.
“We have a really good squad and a squad that is definitely capable of challenging to win the tournament.
“I’m hoping that we can build on this type of performance, keep improving and keep scoring goals and showing our qualities.”
Skipper Harry Kane set up Phil Foden for England’s second just one minute after Rashford’s opener.
Rashford then rounded off the win by netting his second in the 68th minute.
The Manchester United ace now has three goals in just three games this World Cup.
He is the joint top-scorer in Qatar and is in with a shot of winning the golden boot – despite starting just one game so far.
But his performance tonight will make him hard to drop.
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Victory for the Three Lions against rivals Wales sent them through as Group B winners.
Southgate and Co now face Senegal on Sunday in the last 16.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
