according to espn Wayne Rooney tied the England all-time scoring record but didn't get the chance to break it as England cruised to a 6-0 rout of San Marino
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However, the half-century and sole ownership of the record will have to wait after Hodgson made the unsentimental decision to replace his captain on the hour with Harry Kane, who would add England's fifth goal 15 minutes later.
It was a decision booed by some of the travelling England supporters, though it will probably be welcomed by the Football Association. There may now be increased demand for tickets on Tuesday, when a Wembley audience could watch Rooney achieve history against Switzerland. Increasingly playing the role of dedicated England captain, Rooney happily shook the hand of Hodgson as he left the field, having shared his goal celebration with wife Coleen and son Kai, both of whom were watching from the stands.
And there also seems a nice symmetry to Rooney's 49 being set in the same 106 matches that it took Charlton, the Manchester United legend whose 249 club total Rooney is currently 16 short of. Rooney can cherish an achievement denied the likes of Gary Lineker (who got stuck on 49) and Michael Owen, who reached 40 before injuries killed his England career at age 27.
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