Wilshere wows, Rooney wins it as England keeps rolling toward Euro 2016
As Jack Wilshere wowed with his first two international goals, Wayne Rooney closed in on England’s all-time record goal scorer.
Together, they kept England’s Euro 2016 qualifying record spotless.
Rooney’s winner in the 86th minute capped England’s thrilling 3-2 win over Slovenia on Sunday, giving the Three Lions a commanding lead atop Group E with a full 18 points from their six matches.
Slovenia’s Nejc Pecnik leveled the score with a header in the 84th minute, sending the crowd in Celje into full bounce. But Rooney finished off an excellent piece of build-up play just two minutes later to seal the win.
It was Rooney’s 48th goal in an England shirt, tying him with Gary Lineker for second-most all time. Rooney only needs one more to tie England’s record scorer, Sir Bobby Charlton, and two to set a new mark.
Wilshere, however, turned in the best performance of the match. With Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard retiring from international play last summer, questions swirled over who would captain the midfield for England in the coming years. Wilshere’s name had been bandied about in that regard, but the 23-year-old midfield prodigy could never seem to stay healthy, or prove overly effective when he was.
That may have changed on Sunday. With England trailing 1-0 in the 57th minute, the ball bounced to Wilshere after pinballing around the box, and WIlshere laced a left-footed rocket into the upper-left corner of the net to tie the game:
Fifteen minutes later, Wilshere doubled his international tally, receiving a flick from Adam Lallana and curling another shot into the upper-left corner from 25 yards out:
Thanks to Wilshere and Rooney, England now sits 10 points above second-place Switzerland, all but assuring qualification for the European Championship next summer.
If their play on Sunday is any indication, the Three Lions may have a better chance of winning it than people think.
