England, One Step Closer to Euro 2016

Victory for England after beating Estonia on Sunday with a 1-0 win. The match took place in Tallinn.

Estonia lost their captain, Ragnar Klavan during the start of the second half, due to a second yellow card giving way to England. Estonia had been holding up in defense prior to this with England dominating possession, thanks to Jack Wilshere. Wilshere showed his speed by weaving past opponents, setting him apart as someone who can break defensive lines. He made great volleys over to Rooney who was unable to follow through.

This wasn’t one of England’s best games as manager Roy Hodgson would have liked to have seen a more comfortable win.

Roy Hodgson kept Raheem Sterling on the bench for most of the game. According to Hodgson, “We were just about to have a light session at the Grove and he said, ‘I feel tired and I don’t think I am in my best form at the moment.’”

Hodgson allowed Sterling to go in as a substitute at the 64th minute but it was soon evident that Sterling was still recovering from San Marino. Sterling’s slow recovery has created tensions between Hodgson and his Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

On the bright side, not only did England win but Wayne Rooney’s late free-kick gave the English team a straight win on their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. They have a few obstacles ahead but have a great chance of winning all 10 qualifying games and qualifying well in advance of the tournament.

Sterling was fouled on the edge of the penalty box. With only 17 minutes to go, England’s captain, Rooney curled in a low, right foot effort from the set-piece. Good thing Hodgson didn’t pull out Rooney who he was planning to replace with Rickie Lambert. Hodgson denies he had plans to pull out Rooney but said his backroom staff might have had plans to.

This was Rooney’s 43rd goal for England. He is now only 6 behind, record holder, Sir Bobby Charlton and 5 behind Gary Lineker. Earlier last week, Lineker’s son teased his father on Twitter, “Rooney’s gonna get ya old man.”

Lineker and Charlton should watch out! Rooney’s right behind them and going for the record.

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