England Advances After Beating Wales 3-0 At World Cup
Nov 29, 2022, 3:03 PM
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden got their chance and made their point.
Rashford scored twice and Foden added the other as England changed up its attack and beat Wales 3-0 Tuesday at the World Cup to advance to the round of 16 at the top of Group B.
“Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments,” said Rashford, who came off the bench in the first two matches in Qatar. “I’m happy we are going through to the next round of the tournament because I have massive ambitions for this team and I think we can play even better than we did today.”
England Top Group B
England will next face Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday.
Both Rashford and Foden had come on as substitutes in the opening win over Iran, and Rashford did so again in the match against the United States, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
England secured the top spot in Group B and booked its ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockout stage 👏🏴
Relive all the action in our 90' in 90" ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XIaaUUfAA4
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 29, 2022
On Tuesday, England coach Gareth Southgate opted to drop Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling to the bench and give Rashford and Foden a chance from the start.
“We were a little bit disappointed after the USA result,” said Rashford, who also scored in the 6-2 win over Iran. “I thought we could’ve played a lot better and it was important to have a good performance the next game.”
England had the game wrapped up just after halftime with Rashford scoring from a free kick in the 50th minute and Foden adding another in the 51st. Rashford got his second after a weaving run in the box in the 68th.
Wales captain Gareth Bale was forced off at halftime with an injury.
Disapointing World Cup Wait For The Welsh
Despite not having made a World Cup in 64 years, the pride of Wales were hopeful that their beloved players led by world renowned forward Gareth Bale may be good enough to advance from the group. However, following an opening tournament point versus the United States, the hopes of dreams dwindled when Iran scored two stoppage time goals to win 2-0 in their second game of the tournament.
Unfrotunately, England proved too dominant for the Welsh who looked outclassed and outmatched in their final group stage fixture. It remains unknown just how long the Welsh will have to wait for their next World Cup appearance giving the growing age of Bale and a number of key Welsh players.