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Gareth Southgate assesses Phil Foden & Marcus Rashford’s performances in England’s win over Wales.
Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden’s contributions to England’s impressive 3-0 victory against Wales in their last World Cup group match have been praised by Gareth Southgate.
Both Rashford and Foden scored in the second half, with the former leading the tournament in scoring with a brace while playing a key role in the Three Lions’ explosive attacking style at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
The offensive midfielder showed his value when given the chance to start against Wales, despite all the controversy about Southgate’s decision to bench Foden against the USMNT.
Speaking to BBC Sport about the pair, and the game itself, the England manager said: “In the first half we controlled the game but we didn’t create enough clear chances. We wanted a bit more thrust in the final third, to play forward a bit quicker.
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The second half, once we got the two goals, we knew that their spirit had probably gone. I thought we kept our discipline right until the end.
“It’s great for [Marcus Rashford]. He’s trained really well, I have to say, and he could have had a hat trick. His free kick was an incredible strike; that’s what he’s capable of.
“In moments I thought both [Rashford and Foden] were a bit quiet in the first half. We decided to switch them at half-time and they responded really well, and for them to both get their goals was great.
“I’ve played in front of England crowds like that. It’s an amazing feeling when you see them in such numbers, especially when you think how far they’ve had to travel. I thought we dealt with the pressure really well – we were calm and we showed our quality.”