English forward, Marcus Rashford, pointed to the sky after opening the scoring in England's 3-0 thrashing of rivals Wales on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, in honour of his friend who died recently due to cancer.
During the post-match press conference, the Manchester United attacker disclosed that the celebration was meant to honour his late friend.
“I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago. He had quite a long battle with cancer. I am happy I managed to score for him, he was always a big supporter and a good friend of mine,” he explained.
The Manchester United star put his nation ahead in the 50th minute, thanks to an excellent free-kick which left Wales shot stopper diving helplessly.
Rashford then sprinted to one of the corners to celebrate the goal alongside his jubilant teammates.
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However, after a brief moment of hugging and patting each other at the back, the 25-year-old stayed behind and emotionally raised his hands before making his way back to the centre of the pitch for the re-start.
Marcus bagged his brace 18 minutes later when he produced a brilliant solo run and tricked Wales defenders before firing a low shot into the back of the net.
Manchester City's fast-rising midfielder Phil Foden scored the other goal for the Three Lions.
The comfortable win ensured England booked a slot in the round of 16 for the second consecutive time.
In the knockout stage, the Garet Southgate-coached charges will battle it out with the reigning African Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions, Senegal.
The Lions of Teranga advanced from the group stage after narrowly edging out South American representatives Ecuador 2-1 in a hotly contested match.
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