Marcus Rashford (11) bends a shot past Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic to score England’s fourth goal. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Marcus Rashford hits the high notes after playing second fiddle to Anthony Gordon. MARC ANTHONY. It must be difficult being the second choice at a major tournament, confronting the idea your head coach thinks you are an inferior player. Maintaining confidence when others are favoured takes a lot of mental fortitude because agreeing with the decision is never an option. Some waltz in, do as they please, having been afforded the opportunity you want because of one person’s decision, while others watch on from the sidelines, desperately waiting for a chance to prove everyone wrong.
For Marcus Rashford, the situation is even more infuriating, given it is the same person who has potentially taken his place at both club and international level. The Manchester United forward had a promising season on loan at Barcelona, who then decided Anthony Gordon was a better and more expensive bet. Gordon’s move to the Camp Nou means Rashford is back in limbo; seemingly not wanted by his boyhood club nor in Catalonia, making this another crucial juncture in his career. Playing second fiddle is not a position anyone wants to be in, most orchestras do not even have one nowadays, one assumes on account budget cuts, so being stuck in a redundant metaphor is painful.
“He struggled for us to be decisive when he started, but he was always trying and got a bit unlucky for a long time,” Tuchel tooted about Rashford after the 28-year-old scoring England’s final goal of a 4-2 win over Croatia in their GWC opener. “We just had a talk [on Tuesday] where I told him that I’m very, very impressed with his last 16 days – how he was in camp, how he pushes on the field.” Tuchel is referencing Rashford’s pre-tournament personal training camp in Florida – endeavour is an underrated attribute in football and one Rashford has not always been known for but there is no shortage of gumption currently. Being given the No 11 shirt for the tournament may have brought hope of being a starter but Rashford possesses the qualities of a finisher, someone who can come off the bench and be brutal against tiring teams.
Rashford was not alone in making an impact against Croatia as the second-half raft of changes all made a difference. England went from a bungling first 45 minutes to becoming a team others will fear. “[Rashford] is totally invested in every meeting,” Tuchel whooped. “He is very, very fast in translating a meeting on to the pitch, what we want tactically. He pushes on a very respectful level with Anthony Gordon in the position, so at the moment he’s in a very good place.”
The Rashford goal summed up what this England – and the forward – possess. It was an aggressive move from back to front, using speed and confidence in equal measure. If the speed of England’s counterattack was something to behold, then the finesse Rashford provided at the end more than matched it. Wanting to make a point, there was little consideration of passing to Harry Kane in the middle to complete his hat-trick, instead Rashford chopped back in to open up the angle, allowing him to find the corner with the coup de grace. “I was so happy that he was the one to unlock this long spell – hopefully he can keep this up,” Tuchel cheered. It was a fine moment for both the forward but the rest of the team, as they plot a path for a successful summer, individually and collectively.
RECOMMENDED BOOKMARKING. If our shiny GWC Golden Boot page wasn’t enough for you, we’ve now only gone and built an all-time World Cup top goalscorers page too.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE. Daniel Harris springs into action with minute-by-minute coverage of Czechia 2-2 draw with South Africa at 5pm BST (midday EDT) before Daniel Gallan delivers updates on Switzerland 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina at 8pm BST (3pm EDT). Rob Smyth is all over Canada 1-0 Qatar at 11pm BST (6pm EDT), before Jonathan Howcroft rounds things off with Mexico 2-1 South Korea (9pm EDT, Fri 2am BST).
QUOTE OF THE DAY. “I’ve been a coach for 40 years and I know it’s a part of the job that you will be criticised. So for the moment, I’m criticised but people have to know … and for those who still don’t know it … I do it my way. I never listen to the trash of the social media [disgraces]. I never listen to people who feel they are important enough to criticise the team. When I look back at what they [former players] achieved before, I think it should be better that they shut up” – Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos – yes, Football Daily definitely bought some bootleg aftershave bearing his name somewhere around Greece back in the day – isn’t the biggest fan of pundits in the South African media taking a pop at him.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS. “I was amused when the commentators here in the USA USA USA, early in the Portugal v DR Congo match, suggested that the adjustments made by Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years could be compared to Michael Jordan developing a fade-away shot when he could no longer dunk on every defender. Watching his wooden performance, I wonder whether the more apt comparison for late-career CR7 would be Jordan’s unfortunate foray into baseball” – Tony Alessandrini. “As a Barnsley fan, I can assure R Reisman (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) that there is only one team that is ‘Just Like Watching Brazil’. Sadly, performances on the pitch have not justified that chant for several years but, with Daniel Stendel back in charge, hopes are high for the coming season. The type of hope, as we all know, that kills you” – John Meara. “If a misty-eyed Gianni Infantino was watching Messi from Kansas (yesterday’s Football Daily), he’d have been at least seven miles from where the game was. I’m sure I’m just one of 1,057 pedants to note that Arrowhead, AKA Kansas City Stadium, is located in the state of Missouri” – Eric Bens (and others). If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Tony Alessandrini. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING. Get your ears around the latest episode of World Cup Daily, as pod squad Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Nick Ames, Lucy Ward and Jacob Steinberg unpack England’s win and Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance for Portugal.
RECOMMENDED WATCHING. A giant inflatable ball used as a GWC promotional display broke free from its structure during heavy rain and strong winds in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador. It then rolled through the streets of the Zona Rosa neighbourhood, bouncing in front of drivers and pedestrians, generally making a nuisance of itself.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS. History has been made by DR Congo, who held a Cristiano Ronaldo-hampered Portugal to a 1-1 draw in Houston for their first ever World Cup point, with Yoane Wissa grabbing their first World Cup goal in the process. Ghana gave Panama the 1-0 beating of a lifetime, thanks to a 95th-minute goal from Caleb Yirenkyi. Life was slightly easier for Colombia as they defeated tournament newcomers Uzbekistan, in a match which saw Abdukodir Khusanov get booked for fouling Luis Díaz and the cameraman. It was not all positive for England on Wednesday because Thomas Tuchel was left absolutely ruddy fuming about the position of photographers during the national anthems, meaning he could not see his players from the sidelines. “I’m begging Fifa to change the position of the photographers, because I could not see my team [during] the national anthem, and I was waiting for this moment,” he screeched. The Côte d’Ivoire striker Elye Wahi has been barred from entering Canada for his country’s match against Germany because he is at the centre of a spot-fixing investigation in France. Ligue 1 said on Wednesday they were alerted to a “unusual amount of bets” during a match between his club, Nice, and Metz. Wahi was arrested in May and interviewed by French police in relation to the matter. The Mexican military have “neutralised” a drone flying over South Korea’s training base in the country. They face the co-hosts later today/tonight. The mother of Cape Verde keeper Vozinha – hero of their 0-0 draw against Spain – will be able to watch her son play at the GWC after all. US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries announced they would waive the visa fees for her trip.
ON THE BALL. Big Website’s app now features a special edition of On the Ball for the GWC. On the Ball: World Stage invites you to guess the World Cup player in five attempts – and it’s pretty tricky. You can have a go right now – and there are loads of other good puzzles to take up your time, too.
STILL WANT MORE? Who shone for England and who had a rough night? Our player ratings reveal all! How did they look while they were doing it? This gallery shows you! The buildup to Australia v USA USA USA is getting a bit flamin’ spicy. Jack Snape reports from Oakland on an unlikely grudge match. Jonathan Liew is enjoying (we think) watching the World Cup from a distance: “It is a kind of beautiful human-made slop, the flower arrangement at the gates of hell.”
BEYOND THE GWC. Derek McInnes has been confirmed as the new manager at Rangers, Danny Röhl having done one to Fizzy Drink Salzburg. “The demands here are clear, and our supporters rightfully have high expectations. It is up to me, my staff and my players to meet those expectations,” McInnes roared. Newly promoted Hull may face a profitability and sustainability punishment before they have even kicked a ball in the Premier League after overspending by £6m. Sell players or get docked six points is the prognosis. Bernardo Silva has joined José Mourinho’s Real Madrid respray project, where he will be united with a former foe in the form of Ibrahima Konaté, whose own four-year contract has been confirmed. There is some cheer to be had at Liverpool because the Spain winger Víctor Muñoz will join the club for £34.5m from Osasuna. Newcastle were very interested but have been usurped by their Premier League rivals, who will get their man on a six-year deal. Scotland’s Caroline Weir has walked through the door at OL Lyonnes. She tells Tom Garry of her hopes of Champions League glory and a spot at the Women’s World Cup. Gotham FC look set to snap up Sam Kerr after her Chelsea contract expired. Giovanni van Bronckhorst is back for a second spell as Feyenoord head coach, after Robin van Persie was shown the door marked “Ga Weg”. Naughty French side Marseille have been fined €10m and been threatened with a one-year ban from European competitions after missing financial targets imposed by Uefa. And football never stops, part 1,411,616: Hearts will face Sturm Graz in the second round of Bigger Cup qualifying. In Tin Pot, Motherwell have been drawn against Havnar Boltfelag of the Faroes, while Hibs take on the winners of Vllaznia of Albania and Malisheva of Kosovo.
MEMORY LANE. Will an extended World Cup mean a player can beat Just Fontaine’s tally of 13 goals at the 1958 finals in Sweden? That feat was achieved in just six matches. Marrakech-born Fontaine scored 30 goals for France in 21 internationals. Fontaine, who died in 2023, is pictured here in 1978 in Argentina, posing with models for the Tango Adidas ball launched for that year’s finals tournament.
TO THE TAPROOM? TO THE TAPROOM!
