On this day in 2016, Marcus Rashford scored 138 seconds into his England debut, in an international friendly against Australia held at the Stadium of Light.
This was England's third full international game at the Stadium of Light since the stadium opened in 1997, with the two previous games being a 2-1 friendly victory over Belgium in 1999 and a 2-0 win over Turkey in the qualifiers for the 2004 Euros, in 2003. This match was also one to write into the history books as Rashford's early goal made him the then youngest ever player to score on his England debut, aged just 18 years and 208 days. The United striker beat Tommy Lawton's record set in 1938! He has since been beaten by Myles Lewis-Skelly, who scored on his England debut, in 2026, aged 18 years and 176 days. Rashford was handed his debut by Roy Hodgson following an injury to Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge, who failed to even make the bench.
England lined up with this:
Fraser Forster, Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand, Jordan Henderson, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Jack Wilshere, Danny Drinkwater, Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana
...plus a bench of Tom Heaton, Joe Hart, Kyle Walker, James Milner, Eric Dier, Andros Townsend, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Ross Barkley.
Former Sunderland players Henderson and Rose were both in the squad. Whilst Henderson saw out the full 90 minutes for the Three Lions, Rose was an unused substitute. Future Black Cat Bailey Wright was at the heart of Australia's defence, playing every second. Rashford's opener early on was the only goal of the first half, despite an array of chances. The teenager looked a threat throughout the whole time he was on the pitch and looked as if he had secured his place in France (for the upcoming European Football Championship) with that performance alone. Veteran hitman Rooney's place on the plane to the Euros was under threat more than ever with pressure from Rashford as well as from the then Tottenham Hotspur's Kane and Jamie Vardy (then) of Leicester City, who had just won the Premier League. However, Rooney smashed home, looking fresh as ever, past the Australia goalkeeper, Matty Ryan, just 10 minutes after the break after being substituted on.
England's defence looked shaky but held out until late on in the second half, when Dier scored a diving header in his own net past an astounded Forster with just 15 minutes left on the clock. Straight after the goal, (then) Newcastle United winger Townsend came on for Sterling. He'd been booed when warming up by a mostly-Mackem crowd and there was an extremely mixed response when he entered the pitch. Heaton replaced Forster in the dying stages to cap off a remarkable month. The Burnley 'keeper had just won the Championship and, at the, SoL he was handed his first ever international cap. A nice touch. England soon hosted Portugal at Wembley before they jetted off to France. It would be Hodgson's last tournament as manager, England were infamously knocked out by Iceland in the round of 16. Hodgson resigned after enduring one of England's most embarrassing defeats in international competitive history. Of course, Sam Allardyce would be poached from Sunderland to the England setup, the first domino to fall leading to Sunderland's eventual relegation to League One.
WADDLE ON EUROPE
WADDLE ON EUROPE
WADDLE ON EUROPE
WADDLE ON EUROPE
OTD: ENGLAND 2-1 AUSTRALIA
OTD: ENGLAND 2-1 AUSTRALIA