Six In A Row For England

Friendly? Is that even a word when it comes to England and Scotland football games?

There were a lot of questions to be answered in the run up to this game, which took place a year after their last encounter at Wembley, which England won 3:2. Would Wayne Rooney break Sir Bobby Charltons 49 international goal scoring record? Would an inexperienced Scotland beat England for the first time since 1999? Would the crowds riot?!

As it happens, none of the above questions were answered with a ‘yes’, and we were given a great show of entertaining rivalry.

The atmosphere, as to be expected was intense, and started with a highly respectful minutes silence for Nathan McSeveney, who tragically died after the Scotland vs Ireland game less than a week prior to the game.

Then it was down to business, and both teams played out a competitive friendly with both endeavour and passion.

Scotland struggled to get out of second gear in the first half, perhaps due to their efforts in their victory over Ireland, and England made them pay in the 32nd minute. Oxlade-Chamberlain rounded off a beautiful through ball from Jack Wilshere to open the scoring.

Rooney had a relatively quiet half in terms of chances, and it was evident that he was chomping at the bit to create more opportunities to write himself into the history books.

And it didn’t take the England captain long, 2 minutes in fact, to open his account. A well saved shot from Wilshere found itself in front of Rooney, and without hesitation, he nodded home his first of the night, and moved a little closer to the record.

Changes came thick and fast for both teams, with Scotland making 5 substitutions and England 6. In a friendly like this, the freshness of new players often helps to keep the emotion and energy high, and England in particular personified Roy Hodgson’s tactics.

With England coasting to a victory, the game needed an injection of life, and with seven minutes to go, Andrew Robertson drove a left footed strike into the net to give the home fans a huge boost, and more importantly a glimmer of hope that they could get something out of the game.

It proved to be somewhat of an anti-climax though, as England struck back moments later through the talisman Rooney, who scored his second of the night and 46th of his international career after an assist from Adam Lallana.

Rooney may not have broken the record, but he certainly has put himself within touching distance, and the next few matches that he is involved in will undoubtedly be ones not to miss.

England also extended their win streak to 6 games in a row, which has bought a lot of hope and positivity back to the team after their World Cup performances.

Meanwhile Scotland, despite losing this battle, will feel like they have won the war by beating Ireland in that important qualifier earlier in the week.

Both these teams have the potential to get to the European Championships in 2016. And who knows, maybe we will see this rivalry take place in a competitive competition very soon.