The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Rashford sparkles in warm-up
Stunning goal helps Manchester United star push his case
Marcus Rashford’s stunning strike set England on course for a winning World Cup send-off as Gareth Southgate’s much-changed side produced a controlled performance against Costa Rica.
Just 11 days before their Group G opener against Tunisia, last night’s soldout Elland Road friendly was the last chance for the Three Lions to fine-tune before departing for Russia.
Southgate made widespread alterations in a bid to test his options and for the most part was rewarded with an encouraging display, with Rashford superbly opening the scoring before Danny Welbeck came off the bench to secure a 2-0 win against underwhelming Costa Rica.
It would have been more had the Three Lions showed a cutting edge, but there was far more to shout about in comparison to the countries’ last meeting at the World Cup four years ago.
Roy Hodgson’s already-eliminated side brought the curtain down on their dreadful finals foray with a lifeless goalless draw in Belo Horizonte.
Just five members from the squad in Brazil are heading to this summer’s finals, with Southgate favouring promise over experience.
This is a fresh group bursting with potential and Rashford is among the contenders to star judging by this audition in West Yorkshire, where a superb 25-yard opener crowned a fine performance,
The Manchester United forward was particularly impressive in the first half, with Ruben Loftus-cheek another fringe player to sparkle in the first period of a match that tailed off after the break.
But England never looked in danger of throwing away their lead and substitute Welbeck headed home to seal victory against the 2014 World Cup’s surprise package.
Speaking about his wonder goal, Rashford told ITV1: “You work on them in training pretty much every day so when one comes up in a game, it’s the reward you get for practice.
“I’m happy with the game today and the result because I feel like we’re in good physical form leading up to the tournament which is the most important thing.
“But I still need to get in the box a little bit more to try to finish off some chances from crossing areas, so there’s always
Anything’s possible so wehaveto go there with the highest expectations. MARCUS RASHFORD
something to learn from each game.”
Looking ahead to the World Cup, Rashford added: “It means a lot to just be selected but hopefully going there and playing a major part is my main aim.
“If everyone goes with that mentality and performs to the best of their ability then we know we’ve got a good chance.
“Anything’s possible so we have to go there with the highest expectations.
“The friendlies have just been showcasing ourselves to the fans how far we’ve come on.
“We know how far in training we’ve come on, especially in the last 18 months, and these games are just an opportunity to show it to everyone.”
Southgate was coy when asked whether he knows his starting line-up for the opener against Tunisia on June 18, saying: “I might sleep on it.”
However, he hinted the two friendlies and the build-up to Russia have given him food for thought, saying: “I’m really pleased with the three weeks’ preparation, we’ve given ourselves a really good platform. If it’s complicated it, it’s in a really good way.
Southgate was particularly impressed by Rashford’s display and said: “What pleased me most is that he enjoyed his football tonight. He played with a real swagger, he’s a Man United player and got booed at the start and cheered off at the end so that tells you about his performance. I’m really pleased for him.”