Rooney almost single-handedly kept England's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive with a headed goal in the 23rd minute and a thumping second with 15 minutes to go as the Three Lions beat Switzerland 3-0.

Steven Gerrard finished things off with a wonderful team goal. But it was Rooney who shone brightest, and his efforts not only clinched three points but also beat the record held by Dragan Stojkovic of Yugoslavia, who was 19 years and 108 days when he scored against France in 1984.

At 18 years 237 days Rooney is considerably younger, but you would never have guessed it from this display.

If anything he was one of England's most mature performers and his goals were absolutely pricelesss in terms of England's dreams of glory here in Portugal.

In searing heat it wasn't a match that ever scaled the heights of entertainment, but Sven-Goran Eriksson's team were professional and in the end were both worthy and convincing winners.

And in the middle of it all, Rooney's display was one to savour - so no wonder he was named man of the match.

If there were any remaining doubts about Rooney's ability to play orat the very top level they were swiftly and gloriously removed in the first half of this crucial game.

Having worked so hard and so impressively against France, Rooney wasted no time in proving that age is no barrier to becoming a truly world class striker.

The move that led to his goal was swift and incisive, and Rooney's instinct for being in the right position reaped ample dividends.

It all began with a surging burst from Gerrard, who slipped a pass to David Beckham just as he was fouled 35 yards from goal. Fortunately for England, referee Valentin Ivanov of Russia waved play on and Beckham's instant pass found Owen lurking at the far end of the penalty box.

As if to prove that the Owen-Rooney partnership is improving game by game, England's number 10 looked up and found his strike partner with a perfect cross - and Rooney met it with a perfect textbook header.

It was a tremendous way for the Everton man to open his tournament account for the Three Lions and reward not only for his own hard work but also the faith shown in him by Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Eriksson admitted afrer England's opening match on Sunday that Rooney's form had surprised him - because the striker had looked sluggish and slightly out of sorts when he arrived at England's pre-tournament training camp in Sardinia.

A lot of hard work on the training field has changed all that, and the attitude of Rooney has impressed everyone in the England camp.

So much so that, of all his players, Eriksson had least reason to be concerned about the Everton striker's mental strength going into this crucial game.

His quote on Monday morning revealed a lot about Rooney's characteristics.

"I have no worries about how he will react to the defeat," said Sven. "Of course he cares about the result but if I know the player I would be very surprised if anything affected him, whatever it is. I just think he will be looking forward to the next game and even the next training session."

That enthusiasm was evident from the start against Switzlerland as England's number nine held up play, jinked past players, dropped deep to win back possession and even found time for a trick or two.

His partnership with Owen is still in its infancy and there is certainly room for improvement, but hopefully there are plenty of games to go in this tournament for England and their new strikeforce.

Owen was subsituted for the second match in a row, leaving his younger partner as the man to head up England's attack. But it made little difference to the Everton man as he quickly grabbed his second of the match - taking advantage of a pass from Darius Vassell to thump home from 18 yards.

A flowing move led to England's third from Gerrard, who was also outstanding in midfield. But make no mistake, it is Rooney who is the pride of the Lions tonight.