Wales vs. England: After beating Wales 3-0, Marcus Rashford scored twice to help England win its group and move on to the last 16 of the World Cup.
England only had to avoid a big loss to their neighbors, but that never looked likely, even though they had to be patient initially.
The English tried to find out what was happening, while the Welsh kept them safe. But it was possession, not chances, that built up pressure.
It could have made a big difference if Rashford had been as good in the first half as he was in the second. Harry Kane sent him through in the tenth minute, but Danny Ward made a good save.
Rashford then tried to make a shot from far away, but Neco Williams blocked it with his head. It was a good defense, but it cost because the defender for Nottingham Forest got hurt in the head and had to leave the game.
England didn’t do much in the first half, except for a crazy shot by Harry Maguire that went out for a throw-in. After Jude Bellingham did a good job setting up Phil Foden, Foden’s shot went high and wide, and Rashford’s acrobatic volley, which may not have been necessary, missed the goal.
The first half wasn’t very good, but it was hard to remember after the break. Foden ran around in a crazy way, which led to a free kick on the edge of the Wales box. Rashford stepped up and scored a great goal to put England in front.
A minute later, England scored again when Kane crossed the ball to Foden, who tapped it in at the far post to make it 2-0.
England then made changes to rest their key players, but nothing changed in the game. Rashford ran down the right side of the field, cut inside, and scored his second game goal.
From there, all England had to do was decide how many goals they wanted to score, and they were happy with three. John Stones missed a great chance late in the game, but the job was already done by then.
England will play Senegal for a spot in the World Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
1. Wales (4-2-3-1)
GK: Danny Ward, 4/10. He stopped Rashford in the first half with a good save. The first and third goals could have been a little better.
Neco Williams, RB, got a 4/10 because he blocked a shot with his head and then had to leave the game. It was the only thing he did, but it was something.
CB: Joe Rodon – 3/10 – He won a few key headers, but that was it.
CB: Chris Mepham -2/10 – Bit of a weak link at the heart of the Wales defense.
Ben Davies is one of Wales’ better left-back players (4/10).
CM: Ethan Ampadu – 3/10 – Swamped and dominated in the midfield.
CM: Joe Allen – 3/10 – Good to see him getting a World Cup to start after injury, but he was dominated in midfield.
RW: Gareth Bale, 1/10. He’s probably hurt, but he’s not playing the game.
AM: Aaron Ramsey got a 4/10. He was the best midfielder for Wales, but that doesn’t say much.
LM: Dan James – 2/10 – Brought in for his speed. He must have been crushed when Kyle Walker came along.
CF: Kieffer Moore – 2/10 – Poor service and the England center-backs ruined everything.
Connor Roberts came in for Williams in the 36th minute and got a 3/10. He did okay compared to others.
Brennan Johnson came on for Bale in the 45th minute. He didn’t have many chances to touch the ball, but he was at least brave when he did.
Harry Wilson (for James in ’77) – N/A
Rubin Colwill came on for Allen in the 81st minute.
Manager: Rob Page – 2/10 – Probably didn’t have the tools to do what was needed, but they didn’t even do a good job.
2. England (4-2-3-1)
GK: 6/10 for Jordan Pickford. He did what was needed: a decent save in the second half.
RB: Kyle Walker, 6/10. He wasn’t tested, but he looked good anyway.
CB: John Stones – 6/10 – The same. Solid. It didn’t need to be spectacular.
CB: Harry Maguire, 6 out of 10 – The Man Utd player made a very funny shot in the first half, but he did a good job overall.
Luke Shaw, LB, got a 6/10 because he was as solid as he had to be.
Declan Rice, CM, gets a 6/10 because he hasn’t been tested defensively and isn’t needed offensively.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10 – He’s probably playing a good game. From the first minute, they were ready to fight. On the field, the leader is very loud.
RW: Phil Foden (7/10): He proved that everyone was right to want him on the team.
AM: Jude Bellingham gets a 6/10 because he is influential but in a quiet way.
Marcus Rashford: 9 out of 10 A real pain in the side for the Welsh. I got two points, but I could have gotten more.
CF: Harry Kane – 7/10 – Short of his best but created a great chance for Rashford and put a goal on a plate for Foden.
Callum Wilson came on for Kane in the 58th minute.
SUB: Rice’s Kalvin Phillips (58′) – 6/10
SUB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (58′ for Walker) – 6/10
Kieran Tripper came on in place of Shaw (65′) – 6/10
Jack Grealish came on for Rashford in the 76th minute.
Gareth Southgate, the manager, got an 8/10. He was easy to criticize, but he made the right big calls (in this one). He made the right choice when he switched Rashford and Foden after the half.
Marcus Rashford was the best player in the game.
