International friendlies: England record no longer a matter of if, but of Wayne

Skipper’s brace leaves him just three behind Charlton’s tally of 49

PARIS: England won 3-1 against Scotland, while late winners saw Germany and Portugal emerge 1-0 victors against Spain and Argentina respectively in the international friendlies on Tuesday.

Captain Wayne Rooney became England's third-highest goal-scorer outright as Roy Hodgson's side defeated the Scots to record a sixth successive victory.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put England ahead at Celtic Park and Rooney scored either side of a late Andy Robertson goal to chalk up his 45th and 46th international goals on his 101st appearance.

Rooney is now only three goals behind Bobby Charlton's all-time record and two behind Gary Lineker, who is in second.

Ronaldo, Messi disappoint

Cristiano Ronaldo's latest clash with Lionel Messi failed to live up to its billing as the two superstars played for just 45 minutes of the Portugal-Argentina match at Old Trafford.

The 27th meeting between Ronaldo and Messi had been billed as a golden opportunity for the two best players in the world to underline their credentials for this year's Ballon D'or award.

However, neither Barcelona's Messi nor Real Madrid's Ronaldo were anywhere near their brilliant best, with the latter especially anonymous on his return to Old Trafford.

In the end, Portugal claimed only their second ever win over Argentina thanks to Raphael Guerreiro's diving header in stoppage-time. 

World champions defeat European ones

Germany's victory over Spain, the team that preceded them as world champions, came in a game between two experimental sides thanks to a 90th-minute goal by Toni Kroos.

Spain goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, brought on as a substitute, was guilty of a howler, allowing Kroos's innocuous-looking shot from the edge of the area past him.

Brazil continue winning run

The World Cup hosts had to come from behind to defeat Austria 2-1 as the Selecao recorded their seventh consecutive win under Dunga, who took over after Brazil’s World Cup came to a disastrous end.

European powerhouses struggle

Both France and Italy struggled against lesser opponents, scraping through against Sweden and Albania 1-0.

Stefano Okaka scored the winner on his debut in the 83^rd minute, while it took a Raphael Varane goal just as late on, in the 84^th minute, for France to register their win.

 

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