England’s 2-0 victory over Poland to seal their place in next year’s World Cup finals was never in doubt, claims Wayne Rooney – despite having to wait 41 minutes for the opener.
Rooney’s first-half header in the must-win clash, which came when Group H top-spot rivals Ukraine were already coasting against minnows San Marino, set England on their way as the nation breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Captain Steven Gerrard stopped the nail-biting late on with a fine run and strike though Rooney never had any fears England wouldn’t get the job done.
“Getting the goal gave us some belief, the confidence to go on. We believed we could win and then Stevie’s goal has seen us qualify,” said the 27-year-old.
“A big part of our preparation was being patient. We knew we may even have to win the game in the last ten, five minutes. We kept our focus and deserved to win.
“We always remained positive no matter what was said. We had a great focus and belief going into these two games. That came out.”
Rooney’s 38th strike for his country means the Manchester United spearhead could now break his World Cup goal-scoring duck in football-mad South America next year.
On Friday against Montenegro Rooney became England’s record goal-scorer in World Cup qualifiers and he has now scored 16 in 22 games since bursting onto the scene in 2003.
However the forward was more upbeat about the team as a whole and said the spirit in the camp bodes well for next summer.
“The last two performances have been really positive. Some of the young players who have come into the squad have been fantastic for us – there is a good blend,” said Rooney.
“There’s an excitement around the team and we’ve got a few games now to prepare for the World Cup so hopefully we can do that right and see what happens.
“We have always remained positive. We have had a great belief in ourselves and from the manager.”
England will find out their World Cup group in the draw on December 6.
Image courtesy of Tsutomo Takasu, with thanks.
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