England advances to round of 16 after hammering Wales

• England advanced to the round of 16 after beating Wales 3-0 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan). 
• Marcus Rashford scored a brace in a match which Phil Foden also scored to help England secure the top spot in Group B. 

England advanced to the round of 16 of this World Cup tournament after hammering Wales 3-0 at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan). 

Marcus Rashford scored a brace in a match which Phil Foden also scored to help England secure the top spot in Group B.

Marcus Rashford scored a brace. Photo/ Eurosport.

The Three Lions will face Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday, December 4. Senegal finished second in their group after defeating Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday evening. 

Going into the match, Wales, who have not been in a World Cup tournament since 1958, knew they had slim chances of progressing to the round of 16. 

They had to defeat England and hope that Iran draw with the USA in another group B fixture played yesterday. However, none went in Wales’ favour. 

Both England and Wales took the knee before the game as a sign of solidarity in the fight against discrimination. 

Wales, who have never defeated England since 1984, did a good defensive job in the first half as the score sheet remained 0-0. 

The game started on a high note, with Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward rushing off his line to deny Marcus Rashford in the first twenty minutes. 

Wales didn’t attack as much as their neighbours in the first half, but they still looked dangerous when moving forward. 

Things got tough for Rob Page’s side as Gareth Bale was substituted in the 46th minute due to an injury. 21-year-old Brennan Johnson replaced the former Real Madrid winger on the pitch. 

Apart from Gareth Bales, Wales walked out of the tournament with Joe Allen injured. 

Marcus Rashford, who was the man of the match, opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a brilliant free-kick after Phil Foden won a foul. Rashford wrong-footed Danny Ward as he guided his effort into the top right corner.

Marcus Rashford scoring against Wales from a set piece. Photo/ Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

Just one minute after England’s first goal, Phil Foden doubled the lead. Marcus Rashford pressed high and provided Harry Kane with the chance to drill the ball across the face of goal to Phil Foden. 

The Manchester City attacker easily converted his chance to give England a two-goal advantage. 

Wales nearly got back into the game in the 56th minute, but Keiffer Moore’s shot didn’t go in. 

Marcus Rashford scored England’s 100th World Cup goal in the 68th minute after brilliantly manoeuvring his way into the box and then releasing a powerful shot. 

Gareth Southgate replaced the Manchester United star with Kalvin Phillips a few minutes after his second goal. 

Speaking after the match, Marcus Rashford expressed his joy after the massive win. 

“Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments. I’m really happy today, I’m happy that we’re going through to the next round.” Marcus Rashford said, as per Sky News.