Euro 2016 qualifier: England 4 (2) - (0) 0 Lithuania

TheThree Lions thrashed Lithuania 4-0 at Wembley in a qualifier for Euro 2016 withgoals from Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.  With his 47^th goal for England,Rooney now moved to just two behind Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record,while Kane scored his debut for the Three Lions.

TheThree Lions started the night on their front foot and Rooney should have openedthe scoring in the fifth minute, as he was through the middle of the Lithuania defence, but ended up side-footing hisshot straight onto the woodwork.  Rooney then could not bekept out for too much longer – a minute later, after Danny Welbeck tested theLithuanian keeper with a shot across him, which he could only rebound straightinto the path of Rooney, the captain nodded his opener from six yards.

InspiredRooney had another chance to double his tally in the 20^th minute, whenhe was picked out by Welbeck from the right, only to direct a cushioned loopingheader onto the crossbar, as he became the first England player to hit thewoodwork twice in five years.   Welbeck then doubled England’s score justbefore the stroke of half-time; that was his sixth goal in five internationalmatches.

Englandresumed their siege on Lithuania’s goal at the start of the second-half, with avolley from Fabian Delph and asnapshot from Welbeck, both saved from a valiant Lithuanian keeper Giedrius Arlauskis. However, he was unable to stop England’s third after the hour mark, as Sterlingmade a good near post run and was found by Rooney for his first internationalgoal.

RoyHodgsonmade a double substitution in the 71^st minute; the first player tocome on was Evertonmidfielder RossBarkley, who replaced Jordan Henderson, and the second was Kane, who replacedthe captain, to make his first appearance for the England senior side. The young Tottenham talent did not disappoint; he penned the final chapter of hisstory this season by scoring his first goalfor England, after only 79 seconds of being on the pitch.