Rooney Bags Two As England Run Out 5-1 Winners Over Kazakhstan

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates as Kazakhstan's Alexandr Kuchma reacts with teammate Yuriy Logvinenko after scoring an own goal during their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match at Wembley Stadium October 11, 2008.

Wayne Rooney struck twice as England went through a stiff test before beating Kazakhstan 5-1 in their World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Saturday. A goalless first 52 minutes prompted restlessness from the crowd but England ultimately ran riot with a late rally.

Stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute and an own goal by Alexandr Kuchma (62), two from Wayne Rooney (76 and 86) and a last-minute strike by substitute Jermain Defoe gave Fabio Capello's side their third successive win in the qualifying campaign.

It was the first time for England to score five goals in a World Cup match since Sven Goran Eriksson's side dismantled Germany on route to the 2002 World Cup finals. There was an added bonus when Group 6 rivals Ukraine and Croatia battled out a goalless draw.

Kazakhstan have now lost three games in a row following last month's defeats by Croatia and Ukraine. However, it was not a comfortable night for Capello and his side as the score line suggested. A spirited display from the visitors saw England jeered off at half-time before Capello introduced Shaun Wright-Phillips for Barry in a bid to inject some more dynamism.

Wright-Phillips had a shot turned behind for a corner and from the resulting set-piece, Ferdinand climbed highest to nod into the net.

England doubled their advantage as Kuchma headed a Frank Lampard free kick into his own net but sloppy play from Ashley Cole gifted Zhambyl Kukeyev a reply in the 68th minutes, prompting boos from the stands. Capello went to Cole's defense after the match and pleaded with fans to be more patient in future.

"I didn't like the booing, especially as it was targeted at one player, it is always possible to make a mistake and after an error has been made we need to support the player, not the opposite. I ask the crowd, when we have problems you have to help us - booing is no good for anybody." he said.

I personally wont hold my breath waiting for England fans to be fair though !!

England had to wait until 14 minutes from time to make sure of the win, with Rooney heading Brown's right-wing cross past Alexandr Mokin.

David Beckham was given his 106th cap, level with Sir Bobby Charlton, when he replaced Theo Walcott on 79 minutes, receiving the loudest ovation of the night. The former England captain proved his value as his free-kick allowed Rooney to slot in his second of the match. There was still time for a brief glimpse of Defoe, on for Rooney, collected Emile Heskey's pass and fired into fired into the far corner to add gloss to the score line....Back To Home Page

Rooney Instrumental In England's 4-1 Mauling Of Croatia

After England's players attempted to play down any thoughts of revenge before the Croatia clash, Wayne Rooney was happy to admit it was a prime motive as he played a key role in a remarkable 4-1 win. But then again, our Mr Rooney is never one to mince his words !!

In an exclusive interview with Setanta Sports, "our Wayne" paid tribute to Theo Walcott, describing the hat-trick hero as the fastest player he has ever seen.

Rooney scored the other goal in Zagreb as Fabio Capello's side inflicted Croatia's first-ever home defeat in competitive football.

"As I've said before, the friendly games have all been progress for us trying to qualify for the World Cup and, with a bit of revenge in mind, it was a great performance from us and a great result. In the friendlies, we tried different things and Andorra are difficult to play against as they put 11 men behind the ball but we knew Croatia would come and be a tough game for us. We defended really well and took our chances - that's the main thing. I think Theo was brilliant. He gives us something different and is probably the quickest player I've seen. He showed glimpses of what he can do against Andorra and got three great goals tonight so I'm very pleased for him. He can be brilliant. Sven [Goran Eriksson] saw his talent and was brave enough to select him for the World Cup in 2006. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster for him over the last two years and he hasn't always played for Arsenal but hopefully, after the last two performances, he can get a solid place in the Arsenal team."

Rooney paid tribute to the supporters for making the trip to Zagreb and getting behind the team. They actually managed to go a whole game without booing the team !!

"Of course we enjoy a 4-1 victory especially after what Croatia did to us in the last qualifying campaign. The players are so pleased and I'm sure the fans are the same. You've seen the fans in Andorra and tonight and they were brilliant. There's lots over here and I think the players know the fans have waited a long time to see a good performance like that. We're all pleased we've done that for them. The main thing is three points in tonight's game and the next few games, hopefully we can take this form into the next game."