Rooney's African dream

(GETTY IMAGES)

Wayne Rooney is hopeful that the World Cup finals next summer in South Africa could be one to remember for England after they took another step towards qualification. Rooney's previous two tournaments with England have brought disappointment – with injury in the quarter-final England lost to Portugal in the 2004 Euros and the broken metatarsal which curtailed his 2006 World Cup.

"Obviously you love to play in a big tournament," Rooney said after the superb strike in Almaty which took his total in the 2010 qualifiers to six. "Hopefully we can qualify and win something with this team."

David Beckham, who has lost his place in the England starting XI to Theo Walcott, said nothing should be read into the 20-year-old's disappointing game in Almaty. "I've not seen too many of his Arsenal games, but I don't care what anyone says about his form," said Beckham. "He's going to be a threat to any defender in the world. Whether he's in form or not he'll be a threat. He's a great person, a great player and he's fine."

Gareth Barry's suspension could see Beckham start on Wednesday against Andorra, but Fabio Capello will not be able to bring Rio Ferdinand back to central defence. The Manchester United medical team assessed Ferdinand's calf strain at Carrington last week and have told the England set-up that his prospects for the game are "100 per cent no".