Rooney excited by 'amazing achievement'
Tuesday, 15 September, 2009
The striker is looking forward to another World Cup opportunity next summer
Stuart Mawhinney
Wayne Rooney scored his ninth goal in England's eighth World Cup qualifying match last week as the Three Lions booked their place in South Africa 2010 with a stunning 5-1 win over Croatia.
Fabio Capello's men still have two games to play in Group Six, against Ukraine away and Belarus at Wembley, but with top spot in the table already confirmed, Rooney is delighted England have completed their first task in style.
Now though, the Manchester United man whose goal at Wembley last week made it 5-1 following braces from Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, says England will be working towards next summer as they head to the Finals with success their aim.
"It was important that we got the win and we did it in great style," the 23-year-old told TheFA.com. "We've deservedly qualified for the World Cup and everyone is delighted.
"We started off really well and pressed them really high and it caused problems for Croatia. Getting the two early goals obviously helped us and gave us confidence to go and play. To win 5-1, Croatia are a good team, it was a great result for us.
"Croatia knocked us out of the European Championship and to come back here and qualifying against them, and do it in such style with a 5-1 win, is something we would have wished for after the last qualifying campaign."
Rooney, who now has 25 goals from his 55 international appearances, knows what playing in a World Cup is like having experienced the highs and lows of Germany in 2006. After such a promising qualifying campaign, he looking forward to South Africa and hopes there is more joy to come.
"It's always an amazing achievement to play in a World Cup, and to qualify by playing eight games and winning eight, it's a great start for us."
He added: "Now we can see what we can work on for the World Cup coming up, and for me personally to play in another World Cup for England would be a great achievement."
You can watch the full interview with Rooney by clicking on the play button in the top right-hand side of the screen.
Watch the action from the 5-1 win over Croatia: Highlights | Pitchside View
For information about getting tickets and travelling out to South Africa to see England at the World Cup, click here