England manager Gareth Southgate praised goal hero Marcus Rashford as the striker continued his renaissance by firing his country into the last 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday.
Rashford's brace in the 3-0 win against Wales was his third of the tournament having also netted in the 6-2 rout of Iran and ensured England finished top of Group B and set up a showdown against Senegal on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Manchester United striker's revival in Qatar is all the more impressive considering he was by no means a certainty to even make Southgate's World Cup squad when it was announced.
Rashford's free kick early in the second half broke Wales' stubborn resistance, while the second was perhaps more to type, as he cut inside and found the net with a sharp finish between the goalkeeper's legs.
As he raised his arms to the heavens in celebration, which he later explained was because a close friend had recently died, the image stood in contrast to last year, when Rashford's form faltered heading into the delayed Euro 2020.
He then largely played a support role at the tournament, which ended with him missing a penalty in the final shoot-out against Italy.
"It's been a challenge for him," said Southgate after handing Rashford his first start since June last year.
"I went and saw him in the summer and had a long chat, he had some clear ideas on what he felt he needed to do and you can see with his club, that has shown itself with us. We have a different player to the Euros.
"It's great for him and great for us."
Player ratings
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WALES RATINGS: Danny Ward – 5. Made an excellent early save from Rashford, sprinting from his line to block, but was later left to rue a costly mis-step before the Manchester United forward’s free-kick and found himself nutmegged for England’s third. Getty Images -
Neco Williams – 5. Reverted to full-back as Robert Page bolstered his defensive numbers, but was substituted with concussion shortly after the half-hour, having taken a powerful Rashford shot to the head. AFP -
Chris Mepham – 6. Impressive in the first half. Quick to sniff and snuff out danger whenever it developed in his vicinity, most notably closing down Foden to force the England man to blaze over. Overrun in the second half though, and perhaps slow to react to the turnover for England’s second. AP Photo -
Joe Rodon – 5. Solid enough in the opening 45 minutes as Wales remained low and compact, but his foul on Foden gave Rashford the half-chance to open the scoring from distance. Clashed heads with Callum Wilson just after the hour but kept going and denied Foden a late tap-in. Getty Images -
Ben Davies – 6. Returned to full-back on paper, but spent the majority of his time in a more central area. Caught in possession by Rashford for Foden’s killer second goal and soon departed injured – a sad end for one of Wales’ better performers at the tournament. Getty Images -
Joe Allen – 5. Restored to the starting lineup and provided a reliable screen in front of the defence while Wales defended in bulk. Almost capped his display with his side’s best efforts of the first half, but was unable to keep pace with the game as Southgate’s men stepped up through the gears. AFP -
Ethan Ampadu – 6. A more disciplined performance than his showing against Iran. Provided strong defensive reinforcement in open play and showed good ambition and range with his passing. Moved to right-back after England had taken an unassailable lead. Getty Images -
Daniel James – 4. Brought in on the right side of attack to provide killer pace on the counter, but Wales were unable to get him into the game. Frustration crept into his performance and he picked up a booking for a late foul on Stones. Came close with a curling cross-shot early in the second half. AP Photo -
Aaron Ramsey – 4. Curbed his creative influence to stifle Declan Rice to good effect in the first half, but had to show more ambition after England’s quickfire double strike. Guilty of a nasty challenge on Henderson which prompted a deserved booking. Getty Images -
Gareth Bale – 3. His low-key outing against Iran continued with another marginalised performance. Never looked like sprinkling stardust on the occasion. Barely involved in play and only lasted until half time before being hooked as Wales reshuffled. Getty Images -
Kieffer Moore – 5. Totally isolated in the first period as Wales spent the vast majority on defensive duties. Left chasing shadows and had to drop deeper to get a sniff of the action. Doing so resulted in a deflected long-ranger which Pickford did well to turn away. Never gave in. EPA -
SUBS: Connor Roberts (Neco Williams, 36) – 4. Dropped after a lacklustre showing against Iran, but introduced before half time in place of the stricken Williams. Struggled in the face of England’s pacier opening to the second half as Rashford ran riot. AP Photo -
Brennan Johnson (Gareth Bale, half time) – 5. Added more presence than Bale, but only just. Wales struggled to get him involved in the game as England comfortably wrested control. Getty Images -
Joe Morrell (Ben Davies, 59) – 5. Joined Joe Allen in a midfield reshuffle but Wales no longer had a foothold in the game. His thankless task became damage limitation. Getty Images -
Harry Wilson (Daniel James, 77) – N/A. Entered the fray long after it had been decided. Had one effort from a free-kick but thudded it against the defensive wall. EPA -
Rubin Colwill (Joe Allen, 81) – N/A. A late introduction in place of the injured Allen, but had no time at all to get involved. Smashed one speculative effort well over the bar. AFP -
ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 7 - Save in 55th minute after a shot was deflected off Harry Maguire. Another clean sheet. Getty Images -
Kyle Walker 7 - Important minutes for a player who has been short of match fitness since he hasn’t played for two months. Passed the test. AFP -
John Stones 8 - Stayed on his feet and always in control – like when Moore faced him with an 87th minute chance. Missed a sitter at the end. Getty Images -
Harry Maguire 7 - A second clean sheet, Maguire is of the view that tight defences go a long way to winning trophies. Solid. Again. More touches than anyone on the pitch. AFP -
Luke Shaw 7 - A couple of key passes. No problems for him. AFP -
Declan Rice 6 - Smart interception to set up Rashford with a first-half chance, but not as involved as the other midfielders. Higher passing accuracy than any other player. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson 7 - First England start since March and vocal throughout. Gareth Southgate used as many players as possible and it is working as England finished top of their group. AFP -
Jude Bellingham 7 - Beautiful flicks with Foden in England’s best first-half move. Shots, key and accurate passes, better than in the game against the USA. Such a mature player for his age. Such high energy levels, too. Getty Images -
Phil Foden 7 - Started – as most England fans desired – for his 20th cap. Shot wide after 14 and bent a shot wide on 37 after a move where England cut through Wales. Not clinical enough to justify the clamour for his selection but improved and his goal was deserved. Getty Images -
Marcus Rashford 9 - Had a first-half chance when he ran at the goalkeeper but failed to lift the ball over. Wonderful free-kick over the Welsh wall after 51 gave England the lead, then he won the ball back within a minute which led to the second. And he got the third, smashing it with his left foot. Getty Images -
Harry Kane 8 - Went straight after Wales when England went ahead and was rewarded by getting the ball to set up Foden with a sweet low cross for England’s second. Pressed from the front. Three assists in the competition now. Getty Images -
SUBS: Callum Wilson (On for Kane after 57) 7 - Lively shift and brought energy. PA -
Trent Alexander-Arnold (On for Walker after 57) 6 - Key minutes for the Liverpool full-back. Getty Images -
Kalvin Phillips (On for Rice after 57) 76 - Super ball forward to Rashford for England’s third goal. Getty Images -
Kieran Trippier (On for Shaw after 65) 6 - Being rotated and it’s healthy that Southgate has options at full-back. Getty Images -
Jack Grealish (On for Rashford after 75) N/A - Got involved straight away. Getty Images
The forward is now the joint top scorer at the World Cup alongside ylian Mbappe, Enner Valencia and Cody Gakpo.
"Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments," Rashford said after England topped their World Cup group for the first time since 2006.
Rashford's selection was also a vindication for Southgate, who rang the changes, drafting in the Manchester United forward and Phil Foden in place of Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka.
Foden was a busy presence on the flank, especially in the second half when he switched sides with Rashford, and grabbed England's second goal, a tap-in from a Harry Kane cross.
“In moments I thought both of them [Rashford and Foden] were a bit quiet in the first half," Southgate said.
"We decided to switch wings and we thought that might allow them to go on the outside but also the chance to come in and they responded really well. And of course for them both to get the goals is great."
Wales’ first World Cup since 1958 ended in devastating fashion at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Robert Page’s side finished bottom of Group B with one point from three games – a 1-1 draw with the United States preceding a 2-0 defeat to Iran.
Captain Gareth Bale, who pushed away a cameraman at the final whistle who got too close to him, told the BBC: “Everyone’s disappointed but we’re all proud of what we’ve achieved to get here.
“We have to look how far we’ve come. Of course we wanted to get out of the group, but football’s difficult.
“We didn’t live up to our expectations at this tournament.
“If you’d told us two years ago that we would play in a World Cup, we’d have all pinched ourselves.
“We’ll all walk out of that changing room with our held high and proud of each other.
“It’s been difficult at this tournament, we haven’t played very well. But we’ve given everything and we won’t have any regrets.”
The 33-year-old, making a record 111th Wales appearance, did not reappear for the second half with Wales boss Robert Page saying he had been “struggling with his hamstring”.
But Bale, who had little game time for his American club Los Angeles FC ahead of the World Cup, stressed that he has no thoughts about ending his international career.
He said: “I’ll keep going as long as I can and as long as I’m wanted.
“It’s a difficult moment now but we go again in March.”
Wales start Euro 2024 qualifying against Croatia in Split on March 25.
