Wayne Rooney ended his 759 minute wait for a World Cup goal with a tap-in from a couple of yards out against Uruguay.
The Manchester United striker had gone goalless in his nine previous games across three tournaments, 2006, 2010 and this one.
His record had made him the striker with the longest wait for a goal in World Cup history.
England looked down and out against Uruguay after Luis Suarez's header had given them the lead in their Group D clash.
Rooney had gone close in the first half, glancing a header against the bar and finally broke his World Cup duck by turning in Glen Johnson's cross after an excellent England move.
It took Rooney 29 World Cup shots to finally get off the mark.
The goal was his 40th for England, moving him fourth onto the all-time list of scorers, level with Michael Owen.
But Rooney, clearly delighted with finally getting off the mark on the biggest stage, could only really celebrate for nine minutes.
England hearts were broken again when Suarez raced through and lashed home to give Uruguay the lead just six minutes before the end.
After the defeat Roy Hodgson's team can only qualify if Italy beat Costa Rica and Uruguay and England beat Costa Rica.
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