GARETH SOUTHGATE'S bold calls were vindicated by Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden last night - but the England manager's selection decisions are only getting bigger.
Rashford scored twice in his best performance in an England shirt and Foden justified the pre-match clamour with the other goal, as England brushed aside Wales to set up a last-16 tie with Senegal on Sunday.
It would take a brave manager to drop either for England's first-ever meeting with the African champions, but it would also be an enormous surprise if, for the first time, Southgate goes into a knockout game without Raheem Sterling in his side.
Sterling started every game on the run to the semi-final in Russia four years ago and was comfortably England's best player at Euro 2020, proving decisive in the knockouts.
He opened the scoring in the win over Germany in the round-of-16, won the late penalty in the semi-final against Denmark and, in between, was excellent as England thrashed Ukraine 4-0.
Last night felt like a coming of age for both Rashford and Foden for their country, but history suggests Sterling is still the man for the big occasion.
This story is from the November 30, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the November 30, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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