Wayne Rooney's delight with another goal in England win

Monday 15 Jun 2015
Wayne Rooney scored the winner in Slovenia - his 48th goal for England

Wayne Rooney was "delighted" to bag his 48th goal for England, but insists the 3-2 result in Slovenia is far more significant.

Having missed a couple of early chances and seeing a first-half drive well-saved by opposing keeper Samir Handanovic, the England skipper remained focused before sliding home a late winner in Ljubljana.

The strike ensured the Three Lions go into the summer break with maximum points from their six Group E qualifiers this season.

Slovenia 2-3 England

Euro 2016 Qualifier
Sunday 14 June
Stadion Stozice, Ljubljana

"We knew it was going to be a tough game in a good atmosphere, especially going one-nil down," Rooney told FATV.

"We showed great character to comeback and take the lead. We were disappointed to concede the equaliser, but thankfully got the winning goal and saw the game out.

"The first goal was a sloppy goal and the second we could have defended better, but overall it was a good performance.

"We got three good goals and I think we deserved the win. We're pleased with the result."

He continued: "Obviously I'm delighted to get the winning goal, it was a big three points for us and a step closer to Sir Bobby's record.

"I'm sure that will come but at the minute I'm concentrating on trying help the team win games, get points and qualify for the European Championship."

England were trailing at half-time after Milivoje Novakovic netted a surprise opener for Slovenia to give them the advantage.

Boss Roy Hodgson made a decisive switch at the break, bringing Adam Lallana into the fray. 

And the Liverpool man provided a spark setting up both of Jack Wilshere's strikes that put the visitors in front.

Wayne Rooney

Rooney's late winner maintains England's 100 per cent record in Group E

Nejc Pecnik looked to have snatched a point for Slovenia in the last five minutes, powering home a header, but Rooney's winner silenced the noisy home crowd.

And, having won the game in the fashion they did, the Manchester United captain believes it can only help the team develop as they edge closer to a spot at Euro 2016.

"It's a positive performance, a big performance for a lot of the players in the coming year, and the players will certainly benefit from it," he said.

"Adam came on and was incredible for us - it was a great flick for Jack's second. He's a player who can take the ball and get in the space in the little pockets.

"He had a really positive 45 minutes."

Rooney added: "It's a good end to the season for us. It's important that we didn't lose tonight, but we set out to win it.

"We've done that and now we can all enjoy a few weeks of rest."

By Jamie Bradbury FA Editor at Stadion Stozice, Ljubljana