Wayne Rooney made history by breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time
England goalscoring record in the Euro 2016 qualifier against
Switzerland at Wembley.
England captain Rooney equalled Charlton's tally of 49 with a penalty in the victory against
San Marino
on Saturday that ensured a place in France next summer.
And he was on the spot again late on in Tuesday's match
against the Swiss for goal number 50 to erase a record that has stood
for 45 years.
It looked like Rooney might be made to wait until
England's meeting with Estonia at Wembley next month as Switzerland
frustrated Roy Hodgson's side until their resistance was eventually
broken.
England substitute Harry Kane pierced the deadlock with
a crisp finish after 67 minutes and Rooney rewrote the record books
with a thunderous penalty six minutes from time, earning a standing
ovation from the Wembley gallery.
It ensured his side completed eight wins out of eight, securing top spot in Group E.
Rooney's moment of glory
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Rooney record is fantastic - Shearer
A roar of anticipation swept around Wembley as soon as
Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi pointed to the spot after Raheem
Sterling had been fouled.
Rooney picked up the ball with the weight of
expectation and history on his shoulders, but responded with an emphatic
right-footed penalty that gave Swiss keeper Yann Sommer no chance, even
though he got a hand to it.
As he celebrated the crowd of 75,751 inside Wembley -
joined by manager Hodgson and his backroom team - rose to acclaim the
29-year-old as he was engulfed by team-mates. Even the travelling Swiss
fans generously recognised the significance of the moment. History had
been made.
Kane's growing stature
Harry Kane has scored three goals in four England matches
With Liverpool's
Daniel Sturridge
and Arsenal striker
Danny Welbeck
dealing with long-term injury problems, Hodgson will be eager to
see others stake their claim to partner Rooney at Euro 2016 in France
next summer.
And 21-year-old Spurs striker Harry Kane is making a
compelling case with his second successive goalscoring appearance as a
substitute.
Kane looks a natural at international level, scoring
with a wonderfully composed chip in San Marino then drilling home a low
finish against Switzerland to end the stalemate.
He has a well-rounded, mature game and approach and has time to develop further before France.
Kane's efforts with England may well have beneficial
spin-offs for Tottenham, who have waiting for him to find a spark this
season. His spell on international duty may well have provided it.
Who staked their England claim?
It is hard for anyone to stake a serious claim in a game that was drab and dull for large periods.
England performed like a side that had already
qualified for Euro 2016 and Switzerland did not contain the quality to
make them pay for their below-par performance.
It was a bitter night for Manchester City's Fabian
Delph, who went down clutching his hamstring inside 15 seconds and now
faces another spell on the sidelines.
The big winners were Manchester United pair Luke Shaw
and Chris Smalling, who were both outstanding. Shaw excelled in defence
and attack while Smalling confirmed the growing stature he has shown for
United this season.
Everton's Ross Barkley flitted in and out of the game
while Swansea City midfield man Jonjo Shelvey faded after a bright first
20 minutes.
Man of the match: Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw confirmed his rapid
development at Manchester United this season with a fine display that
makes him a serious contender to be England's first-choice left-back
"I don't think Sir Bobby Charlton will be too disappointed"
England manager Roy Hodgson to BBC Radio 5 live:
"I wasn't at all satisfied with the first half. But Wayne is the
story of the night. I'm still happy too that despite not playing
anywhere near our best we were still able to win the game against a good
team.
"We are so delighted for Wayne. We made a small
presentation in the dressing room to Wayne, a football shirt with 50 on
the back. He gave a very good speech in accepting that. I don't think
Sir Bobby Charlton will be too disappointed."
Stats you need to know
- Rooney has scored in England's last seven competitive fixtures at Wembley - a post-war record
- Rooney has now scored 300 goals for club and country
- Switzerland were the last team to score more than once
against England at Wembley in a competitive fixture (2-2 in June 2011)
- Only Santi Cazorla (16) has created more goalscoring chances in the Premier League this season than Jonjo Shelvey (14)
- England have lost only one of their last 21 games against the Swiss
- England remain the only side to have a 100% record in the Euro 2016 qualifiers
What next?
England, already qualified for Euro 2016, finish Group E
with a home match against Estonia on 9 October, followed by a trip to
Lithuania three days later.
Hodgson's men then have friendlies in Spain and at home
to France in November, before travelling to Germany for a final warm-up
match in March.
England
- 01 Hart
- 02 Clyne (Stones - 68' )
- 05 Cahill
- 06 Smalling Booked
- 03 Shaw
- 07 Milner Booked
- 04 Shelvey (Kane - 57' )
- 08 Delph (Barkley - 3' )
- 11 Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 10 Rooney
- 09 Sterling
Substitutes
- 12 Gibbs
- 13 Butland
- 14 Walcott
- 15 Stones
- 16 Jagielka
- 17 Vardy
- 18 Kane
- 19 Mason
- 20 Barkley
- 21 Heaton
Switzerland
- 01 Sommer
- 02 Lichtsteiner
- 22 Schär
- 04 Klose
- 13 Rodríguez
- 11 Behrami (Dzemaili - 79' )
- 08 Inler
- 10 Xhaka
- 23 Shaqiri
- 14 Stocker (Seferovic - 72' )
- 19 Drmic (Embolo - 63' )
Substitutes
- 03 Moubandje
- 05 Von Bergen
- 06 Widmer
- 07 Embolo
- 09 Seferovic
- 12 Hitz
- 15 Dzemaili
- 16 Fernandes
- 17 Kasami
- 18 Mehmedi
- 20 Lustenberger
- 21 Bürki
Ref: Gianluca Rocchi
Att: 75,751
Live Text Commentary
Full Time Match ends, England 2, Switzerland 0.
90:00
Full Time Second Half ends, England 2, Switzerland 0.
90:00 Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 Foul by Ross Barkley (England).
90:00 Offside, Switzerland. Stephan Lichtsteiner tries a through ball, but Breel Embolo is caught offside.
90:00 Breel Embolo (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 Foul by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England).
90:00
Attempt missed. Wayne Rooney (England) header from the centre of the
box misses to the left. Assisted by James Milner with a cross following
a set piece situation.
89:37 Foul by Haris Seferovic (Switzerland).
89:37 Raheem Sterling (England) wins a free kick on the right wing.
88:50
Attempt blocked. Ross Barkley (England) header from the centre of
the box is blocked. Assisted by James Milner with a cross.
88:17 Corner, England. Conceded by Timm Klose.
86:50 Ricardo Rodríguez (Switzerland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
86:50 Foul by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England).
85:34 Foul by Harry Kane (England).
85:34 Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
85:28 Attempt blocked. Harry Kane (England) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ross Barkley.
83:30
Goal!
Goal! England 2, Switzerland 0. Wayne Rooney (England) converts the
penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
82:31 Penalty conceded by Granit Xhaka (Switzerland) after a foul in the penalty area.
82:31 Penalty England. Raheem Sterling draws a foul in the penalty area.
