Manchester United's Rashford - at 18 years and 208 days - beat the
previous record set by Tommy Lawton in 1938 when he volleyed in after
only 138 seconds.
He was then able to press his claims for
inclusion in England's Euro 2016 squad when it is confirmed on Tuesday
with an exciting display, especially with Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge
not even able to make the substitutes' bench because of a calf injury.
Wayne
Rooney, on as a half-time substitute, drilled home his 52nd England
goal from Raheem Sterling's pass in the 55th minute before Eric Dier
gave Australia hope with 15 minutes left by heading into his own net at
the near post from Alex Wilkinson's cross.
Rashford illuminates the Stadium of Light
From
the moment he came out for England's warm-up, Rashford looked perfectly
at home on the international stage - and surely now manager Roy Hodgson
will take him to Euro 2016.
Rashford was a threat for the entire
63 minutes he was on the pitch. There were moments when his inexperience
showed, such as when his control let him down after being played in by
Sterling in the first half - but this is a young man on a mission.
He
demonstrated pace, control and a nerveless approach and even when he
stumbled on another chance in the second half, he recovered his poise
quickly to send a cross flashing into the six-yard box with his England
colleagues just unable to get a touch.
Rashford departed to a deserved standing ovation. Now it seems certain he will be packing his bags and his passport for France.
Rooney still a shining light
Rooney's
beaming smile gave the seal of approval to the young pretender Rashford
when he volleyed home - but England's captain showed he is not ready to
give way to the younger generation just yet with a vibrant second-half
display.
The 30-year-old has never been under greater pressure for
his England place with the emergence of Tottenham's Harry Kane and
Leicester City's Jamie Vardy, whose goals helped make them Premier
League champions.
He looked fresh and fit in his 45 minutes on the
pitch, rifling a fine finish high past Matthew Ryan and also looking to
create chances for his team-mates. Rooney will start England's Euro
2016 opener against Russia in Marseille on Saturday, 11 June.
England's defence still a worry
Dier's
own goal was symptomatic of England's back line. They still look less
than convincing in defence, even against a side as average as this
Australia.
Dier, a defensive midfielder, was brought on in a
centre-back role and had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes
when he dived, unchallenged, at the near post and headed a low cross
under Fraser Forster.
Manager Hodgson has time to work on his
first-choice line-up before the opening game of Euro 2016 but he will be
hoping Gary Cahill shakes off a hip injury because central defence is
already one area of the team where England look vulnerable.
Australia
got at England early on but never had the quality to pose a serious
threat where others will at the sharp end of Euro 2016.
Bad night for Sturridge
Sturridge
has suffered the misery of another injury setback, this time a calf
problem that restricted him to a watching brief while Rashford claimed
the headlines.
Liverpool's striker is a rare talent, as proved by
his wonderful goal - a masterpiece of technique with the outside of his
left foot - in the Europa League final defeat by Sevilla in Basel.
The
problem is, however, an obvious one. Sturridge's fitness cannot be
counted on and means Hodgson has only days to decide whether to take the
gamble of putting him on the plane to France - especially as Rashford
is providing him with an exciting new alternative.
What next?
Hodgson
will trim his 26-man squad to 23 before the Tuesday, 31 May deadline
and England will play their final warm-up game before Euro 2016 when
they take on Portugal at Wembley on Thursday, 2 June.
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