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Marcus Rashford reveals tragic death of friend which led to England goal celebration
Marcus Rashford reveals tragic death of friend which led to England goal celebration,Marcus Rashford helped England secure a last-16 showdown with Senegal after bagging a stunning brace against Wales, and dedicated both goals to a friend of his who recently died of cancer

Marcus Rashford reveals tragic death of friend which led to England goal celebration

England hero Marcus Rashford has the revealed the heartbreaking reason he pointed to the sky after both of his goals against Wales.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the Manchester United forward said he recently "lost a friend" to cancer and decided to dedicate the two strikes to him.

"I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago. He had quite a long battle with cancer," Rashford revealed. "I’m pleased I scored for him, he was a big supporter and good friend of mine. He was someone who came into my life."

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England boss Gareth Southgate claimed he knew nothing about Rashford's plans and didn't clock any change in the 25-year-old body language heading into the match.

"I didn’t have any idea [that Rashford's friend had passed away]. That didn’t manifest itself in his body language or demeanour," he told reporters after the game. "It wasn’t something he mentioned to us. I did wonder because it is not his usual celebration."

Rashford broke the deadlock with a thumping free-kick at the start of the second half before grabbing a second 18 minutes later, with Phil Foden's tap-in at the back post sandwiched in between.

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Southgate and Rashford embrace after the forward gets subbed off
Southgate and Rashford embrace after the forward gets subbed off (Image: PA)

The win sealed top spot in the group for Gareth Southgate's side, setting up a Round of 16 clash with Senegal on Sunday and consigning Gareth Bale and Co to an early exit from their first World Cup in over half a century.

Rashford has now scored three goals for England at the tournament, becoming the the first United player to do so since Bobby Charlton in 1966, and couldn't have given himself a better chance of forcing his way into Southgate's permanent first team plans.

"Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments," Rashford told BBC Sport. "I'm really happy today, I'm happy that we're going through to the next round.

Rashford fires England's opener in from 25 yards out
Rashford fires England's opener in from 25 yards out (Image: Getty Images)

"Hopefully we can build on this performance because I have massive ambitions for this team and I think we can play even better than we showed today."

Speaking about his stunning free-kick, 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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