England’s Wayne Rooney equals Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 England goals
Striker matches 45-year-old mark with a 13th minute penalty, scoring first in a 6-0 demolition of San Marino
Wayne Rooney equalled Bobby Charlton’s 45-year-old England scoring record on Saturday when he netted his 49th international goal in a next year European Championship qualifier away to San Marino.
The England captain converted a 13th-minute penalty to give England a 1-0 lead in Serravalle after the Cypriot referee spotted a foul in the box.
Rooney’s goal gave the 29-year-old Manchester United striker an identical international record to Charlton, a member of England’s fabled 1966 World Cup-winning team, with his 49th goal coming in his 106th appearance.
Roy Hodgson’s side easily confirmed their place at Euro 2016 in their routine dismissal of San Marino, with Theo Walcott (two), Ross Barkley, Harry Kane each scoring.
San Marino’s Cristian Brollis netted a header into his own net at half-time to see England 2-0 up going into the break.
The floodgates then opened with Barkley scoring just 15 sconds after the kick-off.
The biggest suprise was when Hodgson took Rooney off for Harry Kane, who later scores England’s fifth.
Walcott, who came on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, scored a double. He gets on the scoresheet with his first touch, steering the ball into an empty net and slots his before the 80th minute to seal the match.
Rooney now requires one goal to become the first England player to score a half-century of goals.
The striker is also closing in on Charlton’s United scoring record and requires 17 goals to surpass the former midfielder’s tally of 249.
But he is currently struggling for goals at club level.
Despite a hat-trick in a recent Champions League play-off win away to Belgian side Club Brugge, Rooney has not scored a league goal since April.
