England had a man-advantage from the 57th minute when Martin Skrtel received a second yellow card for another foul on Harry Kane but the visitors left it late to break through Slovakia’s resistance in their first game in Group F.
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“He played very high up the pitch, particularly when Slovakia went down to 10 men, and this was a great advantage for England”.
England dominated the game throughout but didn’t find a victor until the fifth minute of added time through Adam Lallana’s first goal at senior global level.
Sam Allardyce got his England reign off to a winning start in Slovakia on Sunday, but there were big question marks over Wayne Rooney after the game.
A father and son gave the new national team boss the penny in the team hotel on the morning of the match, and Allardyce kept it in his pocket.
Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney plays during the FA Community Shield football match between Manchester United and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium in London on August 7, 2016. It is all about that final pass, putting a bit more care into it, but like I said we played well and could have won two or three-nil.
“So, when he is using his experience and playing as a team member, it’s not for me to say where he’s going to play”.
“It’s up to me to (ask): ‘Are you playing well in that position?”
The 30-year-old will break Beckham’s record amid calls for him to retire from worldwide football as managers struggle to find his best position in the team. He’s been a goalscorer all his life and I want him to do that again, but he reads a game as he reads it.
“I must admit, he did play a little deeper than I thought he’d play”.
It is unlikely to be the last we hear about Rooney’s place in the team, or his apparent influence on Allardyce’s tactics.
“I think I didn’t score in my first seven or eight games and then to go on and win the golden boot proves that it was just a matter of time”. “You know you’re leading the nation forward”.
“Everyone back home is happy and can have an extra drink”.
“We got what we deserved”, he said.
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“The result did us justice in the end”.
