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. 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.
