Marcus Rashford dedicates England goals against Wales to late friend - 'I'm glad I scored for him'
Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford has dedicated his brace for England against Wales to a friend who died recently after a long battle with cancer.
Rashford fired home a thundering free kick early in the second half. After Phil Foden doubled England's lead, the Man Utd striker smashed the ball into Danny Ward's legs to make it 3-0.
The 25-year-old pointed to the sky after scoring and after the game he revealed he was paying tribute to his late friend Garfield Hayward.
He said, "Unfortunately, I lost a friend of mine a few days ago.
"He had quite a long battle with cancer, so I'm glad I managed to score for him.
"He was always a big fan of mine. He was just a great person and I'm so glad he came into my life, really."
England are through to the Round of 16 where they will face Senegal, and Rashford believes Gareth Southgate's side are strong enough to put up a serious challenge in the Round of 16.
He added: "I feel like the ambition in the team is really good.
"We have a good mix of qualities. We have a very good team and a team that is really capable of fighting to win the tournament.
"I hope we can build on this type of performance, continue to improve and continue to score goals and show our qualities."
Rashford was pleased with the way England bounced back from their goalless draw against the United States.
He told BBC One: "We were a bit disappointed as a team after the last game against USA.
"I thought we could have played a lot better and the only way to bounce back is to have a good performance in your next game and I think we did.
"First half we defended brilliantly, we didn't really give them any chances.
"And it was just about killing the game and taking risks when they presented themselves."
On his first free-kick, Rashford added: "I was imagining one in the first half, but the one in the second half was in a better position.
"And from there it's just about being calm and trying to execute what you practice in training.
"They don't go there often but I'm glad they came in today."
Speaking of Rashford, Southgate told BBC One: "It's brilliant for him. He's trained very well I have to say.
"He's really impressive since he came back with us. He could have scored a hat-trick really, luck in the first half, luck at the near post in the second. The free kick, that's what he is capable, it really is an incredible shot."
READ MORE: Why England need to go 3-4-3 and how Qatar aren't washing sports but flexing
Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford has dedicated his brace for England against Wales to a friend who died recently after a long battle with cancer.
Rashford fired home a thundering free kick early in the second half. After Phil Foden doubled England's lead, the Man Utd striker smashed the ball into Danny Ward's legs to make it 3-0.
The 25-year-old pointed to the sky after scoring and after the game he revealed he was paying tribute to his late friend Garfield Hayward.
He said, "Unfortunately, I lost a friend of mine a few days ago.
"He had quite a long battle with cancer, so I'm glad I managed to score for him.
"He was always a big fan of mine. He was just a great person and I'm so glad he came into my life, really."
England are through to the Round of 16 where they will face Senegal, and Rashford believes Gareth Southgate's side are strong enough to put up a serious challenge in the Round of 16.
He added: "I feel like the ambition in the team is really good.
"We have a good mix of qualities. We have a very good team and a team that is really capable of fighting to win the tournament.
"I hope we can build on this type of performance, continue to improve and continue to score goals and show our qualities."
Rashford was pleased with the way England bounced back from their goalless draw against the United States.
He told BBC One: "We were a bit disappointed as a team after the last game against USA.
"I thought we could have played a lot better and the only way to bounce back is to have a good performance in your next game and I think we did.
"First half we defended brilliantly, we didn't really give them any chances.
"And it was just about killing the game and taking risks when they presented themselves."
On his first free-kick, Rashford added: "I was imagining one in the first half, but the one in the second half was in a better position.
"And from there it's just about being calm and trying to execute what you practice in training.
"They don't go there often but I'm glad they came in today."
Speaking of Rashford, Southgate told BBC One: "It's brilliant for him. He's trained very well I have to say.
"He's really impressive since he came back with us. He could have scored a hat-trick really, luck in the first half, luck at the near post in the second. The free kick, that's what he is capable, it really is an incredible shot."
READ MORE: Why England need to go 3-4-3 and how Qatar aren't washing sports but flexing
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