Wayne Rooney was all set to make his return to the national side for a well planned farewell for the former Manchester United star at Wembley, against USA in a friendly game between the two sides. The 33 old Englishman who currently plays for MLS side DC United, was urged to come out of retirement for this special fixture, where he would be a part of the England squad once again. Though the attacker-turned-midfielder would not start the game, he was amongst the substitutes for his match, which was officially being promoted as his final game for The Three Lions.
The game started off really well for Gareth Southgate’s side, who were being captained by Fabian Delph on the night and started on the front-foot. They got the lead in the 25th minute, when Jesse Lingard made it 1-0. A couple of minutes later, Alexander-Arnold added a second to make it 2-0 in the 27th minute. There were a few good chances in the game for the other stars to score during the first half, yet there were no more goals in the opening 45, as the two teams went into the break.
After the restart, things did not improve for the visiting side and they were put under more pressure, though neither side could score any more goals. There were some good chances for the hosts, who once again failed to capitalize on their opportunities.
As the game went on, finally came the moment that everyone had been waiting for. In the 57th minute of the match, manager Gareth Southgate finally decided to make a major overhaul in his midfield. On came skipper Wayne Rooney for one last game, along with Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier, to leave their mark on the game that their side were already leading and in control of.
The crowd cheered on and were hopeful that Rooney would not disappoint them yet again. For a player who made his debut for the national side back in 2003, this was yet another big moment in his career. Though it was the end of an era, a new one had already begun with these youngsters playing with a rejuvenated flare.
What followed in the final half an hour of the game, saw the visitors play some of the best football of the match, though they just could not get off the mark themselves. They tried to push forward, while England did the same and eventually it was Calum Wilson, who added a third goal for his team on his debut.
Delph’s cross from the left was converted by the Bournemouth man in the 77th minute, who has been in really good form himself. Some might even say he stole Rooney’s goal (pun intended), though none can argue that he deserved to be on the score-sheet, with the kind of hard-work that he put into the performance on the night.
There were no more goals in the game after that, though the whole team tried to push forward and give Rooney one last goal in his 120th cap for the national team. However, Guzan denied him that joy and the match eventually ended with a 3-0 win for the home side.
