On Thursday afternoon, England locked horns with Wales in what was one of the most highly anticipated games in this years’ EURO 2016 group stages.
England went into half-time 1-0 down after a long-range Gareth Bale free-kick caught out Joe Hart, yet overturned the deficit in the second half.
Jamie Vardy levelled the score and Daniel Sturridge wrapped up the game late on with an intricate finish to Wayne Hennessey’s near post.
In terms of United players, Wayne Rooney and Chris Smalling started the game, and Marcus Rashford, the youngest player to play in EURO 2016, came on in the 73rd minute. But, how influential were the trio in what was a fantastic win for England?
Rooney received a mostly positive response from tweeters around the world, after what was an impressive performance in the heart of the English midfield.
Rooney once again fantastic. Can't believe pre tournament the amount of people saying he shouldn't be playing. Absolute crazy !!
— Danny Higginbotham (@Higginbotham05) June 16, 2016
Rooney's class. knows his days are over playing up top, still probably better than half of midfielders. Hate as much as you like. Class act.
— James Stretford (@Jamesstretford) June 16, 2016
However, not all were impressed with the United star’s performance…
Jeez people really are getting carried away about two decent Rooney midfield performances against teams who put him under no pressure at all
— Nick (@ManUnitedYouth) June 16, 2016
Despite this, the stats don’t lie, and Rooney’s numbers were particularly impressive.
Wayne Rooney's game by numbers:
91% pass accuracy
10 crosses
5 chances created
4 take-ons
3 shotsRan the show. pic.twitter.com/KBu6JqxRKy
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 16, 2016
Rashford coming on for England a mere 112 days after his Manchester United debut isn’t far short of a miracle, but how did the youngster fare in the 20 minutes of game time he was given? Well, according to Twitter, rather well.
Enjoyed Rashford's cameo today. He looked born to tournament football.
— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) June 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/Yanoozai/status/743463280136585217
How good was Rashford? The guy has ice in his veins. Unbelievable ability and temperament
— James (@writtenoff_mufc) June 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/mrdanwalker/status/743458440387895296
Not bad at all for your major international tournament debut!
England’s next and final group game is against Slovakia on Monday 20 June (20:00 BST kick-off), and the fans will be hoping for more of the same from United’s players.
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