The Three Lions brushed aside British rivals Wales 3-0 courtesy to goals from Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden.
Making his first start for England after last starting in pre Euro warmup game against Romania in 2021, Marcus Rashford starred with superb brace.
Rashford riffled a freekick into the top corner leaving Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward with no chance. The Manchester United striker celebrated the strike by kneeling down and pointing to the sky with his eyes closed.
He spoke about his recent heartbreak in the post-match interview, "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 that I managed to score for him.
"He's always been a big supporter of mine, he was just a great person that I'm pleased to have come into my life really."
On beig asked asked if his goal was the happiest moment of his career, Rashford responded: "I think for me winning trophies has always been the happiest moment on the pitch for me.
"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."
England topped Group B with 7 points and will face Senegal in R-16 on Saturday as the knockout stages of the World Cup are set to begin.
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