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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
James Holt

Marcus Rashford dedicates goals against Wales to friend who died days ago after cancer battle

Marcus Rashford dedicated his two goals in England’s World Cup victory over Wales to a friend who recently died. The 25-year-old Manchester United forward pointed to the sky after hitting the net and revealed afterwards he was paying tribute to his friend following his tragic death.

Rashford said that he lost his pal 'a couple of days ago' following a long battle with cancer. He added that his friend had been a 'big supporter' of him and that he was 'pleased' he managed to score in his honour.

The Manchester-born star hit a superb free-kick and ended a mazy run by finishing through goalkeeper Danny Ward’s legs after Phil Foden had doubled England’s lead in what proved to be a 3-0 stroll against their British rivals in Al Rayyan.

READ MORE The moments football supporters went wild in Manchester as England score three goals in triumphant victory against Wales

He said: “Unfortunately I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago. He’s had quite a long battle with cancer, so I’m pleased I managed to score for him.

“He’s always been a big supporter of mine. He was just a great person and I’m pleased he came into my life, really.”

The 25-year-old Manchester United forward scored two goals against Wales (PA)

England are now through to the last 16 where they will face Senegal, and Rashford believes Gareth Southgate’s squad is strong enough to mount a serious challenge in the knockout stages.

He added: “I feel like the ambition in the squad is really good. We have a good mix of qualities. We have a really good squad and a squad that is definitely capable of challenging to win the tournament. I’m hoping that we can build on this type of performance, keep improving and keep scoring goals and showing our qualities.”

Rashford was happy with the way England bounced back from their goalless draw with the United States. In an interview with the BBC he said the team were 'a little bit disappointed' after the last nil-draw against the USA.

Fans in his hometown of Manchester were elated at Tuesday's triumph, as thousands crammed into the Road to Victory fan zone in Depot Mayfield to watch the tense game on the biggest screen in Europe.

Epic scenes at the Road to Victory fanzone in Manchester (Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)

Rashford told BBC One: "I thought we could have played a lot better and the only way to bounce back from that is to have a good performance in your next game and I think we did that.

“First half, we defended brilliantly, we didn’t really give them any opportunities. And it was just about us killing the game off and taking the chances when they came.”

On his free-kick opener, Rashford added: “I fancied 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 in often but I’m pleased that it went in today.”

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