Wayne Rooney becomes all-time leading England goal-scorer

A record-breaking goal by Wayne Rooney kept England's winning streak going in European Championship qualifying on Tuesday, while Austria qualified for a major tournament for the first time in 18 years by securing its place at next year's finals in France.

Rooney scored his 50th international goal by converting a late penalty at Wembley Stadium to seal England's 2-0 win over Switzerland and break Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old record.

"To be the country's all-time leading goalscorer before the age of 30 is not something I could ever have dreamed of," the 29-year-old Rooney said. "I was a bit emotional out there and it's something to be extremely proud of. I'm happy it's done and hopefully I can kick on from here and concentrate on the team and our success in the future."

England had already qualified in Group E. The Swiss remained second and in position to advance despite the loss.

In Skopje, defending European champion Spain struggled against Macedonia but earned a 1-0 victory thanks to an early own goal by goalkeeper Tome Pacovski. Spain has a comfortable lead in Group C, ahead of Slovakia and Ukraine.

The top two teams in each of the nine groups automatically qualify for next year's tournament. The best third-place team also qualifies automatically, and the eight remaining third-place teams go to a playoff.


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