Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Euro 2016 qualifier as minnows San Marino host England in Serravalle. The result of the match is in little doubt, with the main question this afternoon being how many England will put past their hosts, but it will still represent an important three points for Roy Hodgson's side. Let's start with a look at the team news...

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Clyne, Stones, Jagielka, Shaw; Milner, Shelvey, Barkley; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rooney, Vardy

ENGLAND SUBS: Smalling, Butland, Walcott, Cahill, Carrick, Delph, Kane, Mason, Sterling, Gibbs, Heaton

What can we make of that England starting XI, then? Well, given the nature of this fixture Roy Hodgson has opted for a rather experimental side, with the likes of Vardy and Shelvey being handed their full debuts for their country today. Both have started the season very brightly domestically, and Hodgson said before the game that this was the perfect opportunity to have a look at them from the start. It is a game England are almost certain to win, and those two will be thinking about notching their first goals for the Three Lions too.

In all, Hodgson has made no fewer than nine changes to the side that edged past Slovenia last time out, with Joe Hart and captain Wayne Rooney the only players to keep their place. It is a completely new back four as Everton duo Stones and Jagielka start in the middle with Liverpool's Clyne and Manchester United's Luke Shaw on either side. That means that Cahill and Smalling drop to the bench, although the latter can feel a little hard done by considering his good start to the domestic season.

In midfield there is another Merseyside link, with Liverpool's Milner and Everton's Ross Barkley playing alongside former Red Jonjo Shelvey. Injuries to Henderson and Wilshere have forced Hodgson's hnd slightly, but both Milner and Barkley have enjoyed decent starts to the season so may have been selected even with a fully fit selection. Manchester City new boys Delph and Sterling, meanwhile, only make the bench.

There is just the one Arsenal player in the starting XI as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod ahead of the likes of Walcott and Sterling, while Vardy's inclusion on the other side may raise a few eyebrows. The Leicester man has suffered from some off-field issues recently, but on the field he has contributed in no small part to the Foxes' unbeaten start to the season. That sees him chosen ahead of Tottenham's Harry Kane, who is still searching for his first goal of the campaign.

All eyes tonight will be on Wayne Rooney, though. The skipper, like Kane, has struggled for goals domestically so far this season and is yet to open his account in the Premier League, although it shouldn't be forgotten that he recently netted a hat-trick in the Champions League. His all-round play has been below par for United as well this term, but he usually comes up with the goods on the international stage. He has scored in each of England's last five qualifying matches and have seven in his last eight for England in all competitions.

And, of course, this could be the night that he finally breaks Sir Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record for the Three Lions. Rooney is currently on 48 goals from 105 games, meaning that a goal tonight would give him an identical record to the World Cup winner of 49 in 106 caps, a record which has stood since 1970. A brace for Rooney - which is entirely possible considering the opposition - would see him become the first England player to ever reach 50 goals.

SAN MARINO STARTING XI: A. Simoncini; Bonini, Brolli, D. Simoncini, Berardi; Hirsch, Battistini, Chiaruzzi, M. Vitaioli; Selva

SAN MARINO SUBS: Muraccini, Benedettini, Ales. Della Valle, Alex Della Valle, Valentini, F. Vitaioli, Berretti, Golinucci, Mazza, Tosi, Rinaldi, Stefanelli

What about San Marino? Well, if they are to stand any chance of causing England problems tonight then it could well come through the experienced striker Andy Selva. The 39-year-old is the most capped player in his country's history, making his 71st appearance tonight, while his tally of eight goals is also comfortably more than anyone else to have ever played for the minnows. He is coming to the end of his career now and will be desperate for a crowning moment. A goal against England would certainly be that.

Elsewhere, there is a debut in defence for Marco Berardi, and this match may give him some idea of what he will face for the majority of his international career. There is no place in the starting XI for the experienced Della Valle, however. The defender has had some rotten luck against England in the past, scoring own goals in both of the last two meetings between the sides.

Can we give the hosts any chance of coming away with something from this match tonight? In short, no. San Marino come into this game ranked 193rd in the world, which puts them directly below Comoros, Sao Tome e Principe and the Seychelles in the FIFA listings. Only Andorra have a lower ranking in the whole of Europe, and in truth San Marino are a little fortunate to be that high up.

Unsurprisingly, Pier Angelo Manzaroli's side sit rock bottom of Group E, although they may actually view the current campaign as a success. After all, it is already the best they have ever fared in qualifying for the European Championship having never previously even picked up a point. They managed that this time around, however, drawing 0-0 with Estonia in their most recent home game to register in the points column for the first time ever.

That means, though, that they have lost 62 of their 63 European qualifiers down the years, and that record shows no signs of improving in the near future. Unsurprisingly for a team so often beaten, they have trouble scoring goals too. They last scored in a European Championship qualification match back in October 2007, when Wales narrowly edged to a 2-1 victory. They have not found the back of the net in 17 games since then, while over the course of their 63 European qualifiers overall they have only managed six goals.

Indeed, they are the only team in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign yet to register a goal, with even Gibraltar and Andorra finding the back of the net in their groups. Those are the only two teams with a worse record than San Marino throughout qualifying for next year's tournament, and it should also be noted that tonight's hosts have a better defensive record than their fellow minnows too, conceding 'just' 19 goals - half the amount shipped by Gibraltar.

They come into this match having not tasted victory for more than a decade, last doing so in April 2004 when they beat Liechtenstein 1-0. They have lost 64 of their 65 matches since then, with one drawn thrown in for good measure, conceding a whopping 286 goals and scoring just eight along the way. That victory over Liechtenstein is the only one in their history, with their overall record standing as one win, four draws and 125 defeats from 130 games.

They have failed to even score since for almost two years, last finding the back of the net in any competition against Poland on September 10, 2013, when they lost 5-1. They have had the fewest shots on target in the whole of Euro 2016 qualifying so far, testing the opposition keeper and measly four times in their six outings so far.

It won't surprise you to hear that it doesn't really make a difference whether they are home or away either. They did draw with Estonia in their last outing in front of their own fans, while the win against Liechtenstein also came at home, but they are currently on a run of 34 matches without victory on their own patch, while they have failed to score in their last five. Their last game home or away ended in a 2-0 defeat to Estonia which, considering past results, was actually relatively respectable for Manzaroli's side.

Anything other than a convincing and comprehensive victory would be a major disappointment for England today, then. Hodgson has openly said that his side are expected to cruise this game, and his team selection is one of a manager who knows that the three points are already in the bag. That can often be a dangerous game for a manager to play, but considering the two sides on show today, there is no way that the England boss will be left with egg on his face. Starting the likes of Vardy and Shelvey in any other game may be something of a risk, but it is a worthwhile experiment tonight.

England know that a win tonight would be enough to book their place at France 2016, and with that victory almost guaranteed even before kickoff, they can look ahead to other aims. Switzerland await at Wembley on Tuesday - widely regarded as the Three Lions' toughest opponents in Group E - and another win there would secure top spot in the group too. Maintaining the 100% record until the end of qualifying will be another target and, considering they have already overcome the toughest test on paper - away to the Swiss - they will be confident of doing that.

A number of Europe's heavyweights have struggled a bit in this qualifying campaign, so the way England have cruised through will be particularly encouraging. They are one of only two teams - alongside surprise packages Slovakia - to still boast a 100% record and, while the scars of last summer's World Cup won't have completely healed just yet, things do once again seem to be heading in the right direction as far as results are concerned.

That being said, England have rarely struggled during qualifying in recent times, but when it comes to the tournament itself they have often underperformed. They are unbeaten in their last 14 European Championship qualifiers, since that infamous loss to Croatia under Steve McClaren in November 2007, while including World Cup qualifiers too they have not been beaten in their last 25, winning 18 of those.

It is fair to say, without getting too carried away, that England have bounced back from their group-stage exit at the World Cup fairly well. They are unbeaten in the 11 matches since the 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the second game of the groups, winning eight of those and keeping seven clean sheets along the way. Barring one of the biggest international shocks of all time tonight, that unbeaten streak will extend to 12 here, which would be their longest run since they went 15 without defeat from October 2005 to October 2006.

They have not struggled for goals during that period either. Of course, their cause has been aided by being in the same group as San Marino, but still only Poland and Germany have scored more than them during the European qualifying, with the latter only doing so last night and both of those teams facing Gibraltar in their group. They scored three more in their last outing against Slovenia, although that wasn't the most convincing performance of their campaign, with Rooney netting late on to maintain their 100% record following an earlier Jack Wilshere brace.

Roy Hodgson's side are unbeaten in their last seven away games since the World Cup, keeping four clean sheets in that time, while they boast an identical record in their recent European qualifiers on the road. Their last away defeat while trying to reach the finals of the European Championships came in 2007, when they were beaten 2-1 in Russia.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff in Serravalle, which means that it is time for a prediction! The only question here is how many England will win by and, considering they have never beaten San Marino by less than five goals, it is a safe bet to say that it will be comfortable. I'm going for a 6-0 away victory.

In the previous five meetings between these two sides, England have found the net on no fewer than 31 occasions, conceding just the one in the process. Two players - David Platt and Ian Wright - have helped themselves to four-goal hauls against San Marino, but it is interesting that England have never managed to score inside the opening 10 minutes against today's opponents.

San Marino have scored in the opening 10 minutes against England, though. One of the country's greatest sporting moments came in 1993 when Davide Gualtieri opened the scoring against the Three Lions after just eight seconds, giving the minnows a shock lead. England fought back to win 7-1 in the match that saw Wright score four, but it was still a memorable moment for the minnows to be leading the might of England.

The reverse fixture between these two sides at Wembley ended in a 5-0 victory for England, while Jagielka, Rooney, Welbeck and Townsend all on the scoresheet in addition to a Della Valle own goal. The last time they met here in Serravalle, meanwhile, the Three Lions trounced their hosts 8-0 in qualifying for last summer's World Cup. Again Della Valle scored an own goal, in addition to two from Defoe and further strikes from Oxlade-Chamberlain, Young, Lampard, Rooney and Sturridge.

The anthems have been sung (badly and out of time), and we're just about ready to go in Serravalle. I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that England are 90 minutes away from booking their place on the plane to France.

KICKOFF: Here we go! San Marino get us underway on a great day for their players as they take on the illustrious names of England. The visitors should wrap up qualification with three games to spare here, but the big question is whether Rooney can break Charlton's record.

This really is a horrendous pitch, it must be said. The ball is bobbling around everywhere even on a simple pass across the floor, so that is something the visitors will need to overcome here.

Shelvey has seen plenty of the ball in these early stages. His first cap came against San Marino too, so he is yet to be really tested at international level, but he has looked confident in possession in these early stages.

San Marino get the ball inside the England half, which is not something I imagine I will be saying often this afternoon. However, Battistini's attempted pass is... let's say questionable as he hoofs it into the corner, a long way away from any of his teammates.

Brolli has a problem here as he goes down clutching his head following a clash with Vardy. It was good strength from Oxlade-Chamberlain down the right to hold off a challenge before standing a cross up, but Vardy couldn't get his head to it. Brolli, incidentally, should be fine to continue.

We're nearing that magic 10-minute mark, after which England suddenly begin being able to score against San Marino. The visiting fans, meanwhile, are entertaining themselves by mocking Scotland's disappointment last night.

There is the record-equalling goal for Wayne Rooney as he sends the keeper the wrong way from the spot to draw level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 goals for his country. It is a historic moment, although the ref has had an absolute shocker in awarding the penalty. There appeared to be nothing in it as Milner's free kick arrived in the box, aside from Stones handling the ball. It is not entirely clear what the referee saw, but he points to the spot, shows Berardi a yellow card, and Rooney dispatches the penalty.

It may not be against the most illustrious opponents, and the manner in which it came about is still a bit confusing, but what a moment nonetheless for Rooney. No player has ever scored more for England now, and it is only a matter of time before he has the outright record - one which it will be very hard for anybody to beat. He is still just 29, after all.

Predictably it is all England now as they go in search of a second. The floodgates may open if things carry on like this.

CHANCE! Good chance for Rooney to grab his second of the afternoon and reach the 50-goal milestone, but Simoncini denies the skipper with a good save. He parries the ball into a dangerous area, but his twin brother does just about enough to shovel it back to him under pressure from Milner.

It is all about patience for England now. San Marino, in fairness to them, have become a little harder to break down in the last year or two, and the days of conceding double figures seem to be gone for the minnows. The goals will come for England, though, they just need to wait for the right time to strike.

That penalty is still causing a bit of confusion as to what it was actually given for. There was the slightest of shirt tugs on Stones inside the box but, if it was given for that, it is one of the softest penalties you will ever see.

Hodgson will be happy with the performance of Jonjo Shelvey so far this afternoon. I have already mentioned him once, but he is still demanding the ball at all times and, with San Marino giving him so much space, he is pulling the strings at the moment.

SHOT! Milner looks to get the second for England, cutting inside from the left and earning a yard, but his shot is tame and bobbles wide. It didn't ever really sit up for the Liverpool man, largely due to the uneven pitch.

A couple of really good pieces of work from Simoncini in the San Marino goal as he channels his inner Neuer to race off his line twice in quick succession. First he beats Rooney to the ball before sliding in to take it off the toes of Vardy following a fine Shelvey through-ball.

San Marino love an own goal against England! They turn the ball into their own net for the third consecutive meeting with England, and this time it is Brolli who nods home a Luke Shaw cross. England worked it from side to side before the United left-back eventually put the cross in, and Brolli just beat Rooney to the ball, quite possibly denying the England skipper the outright scoring record.

Half a chance for Rooney to get that 50th international goal as England work the ball down the right, eventually feeding it to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right. His low cross is a good one and Rooney attacks the near post, but he can't connect with his effort properly and Davide Simoncini gets the block in.

Brolli is having a nightmare of a half here. He was bandaged up after the first clash of heads with Vardy, scored an own goal, and now needs further treatment having clashed with Vardy once again! Both players look to have hurt themselves in this latest aerial battle.

We have a race to the half-century on our hands ladies and gentleman. That Brolli own goal was the 49th that England have benefitted from down the years, putting the oggies level with Charlton and Rooney in the all-time scorers list. Who is going to make it to 50 first?!

Some rather frantic defending from San Marino just about keeps England at bay, with Rooney lurking about dangerously throughout the attacking move. The hosts survive for now.

CHANCE! Good chance for John Stones to get his first goal for his country as he rises highest to meet a corner. His downward header lacks power, however, and is easy for the keeper to collect.

Milner is harshly penalised for a high foot, despite winning the ball in midfield, which gives San Marino a chance to hoist the ball into the England box...

They opt to play it short first before whipping it in having created more of an angle, but England comfortably deal with it and have possession back soon enough.

CHANCE! What a save this is from Simoncini! He comes to claim a ball into the box, but his twin brother Davide is right in front of him and gets his head to the ball instead. It drops to Oxlade-Chamberlain, who beats one before lashing an effort towards the near post, but Aldo Simoncini produces a quite brilliant reaction stop to turn it over the bar.

There will be three added minutes at the end of this first half.

So far so good for England, then, as they go into the half-time interval with a 2-0 lead over San Marino. It has, as expected, been very comfortable for Roy Hodgson's up to the halfway stage, with San Marino posing no attacking threat and more goals simply being a question of when, rather than if.

The opening goal was a notable one as Wayne Rooney drew level with Sir Bobby Charlton as England's highest ever scorer on 49 goals. It was a rather bizarre goal, however, as the referee awarded a penalty for a reason that still remains unclear. Whatever it was for, it was a very soft one, but Rooney didn't care as he sent the keeper the wrong way to write his name into the record books.

The second goal came from the head of a San Marino player, their third own goal in their last three meetings with England. This time it was Brolli who put through his own net, beating Rooney to a Luke Shaw cross only to nod it past Simoncini.

In truth, it has been a fairly pedestrian affair so far, with England monopolising possession and just looking to find a way through the 10 men San Marino have behind the ball at all times. It is a question of patience for the visitors here, but they would expect to add at least three or four more goals in the second half as San Marino begin to tire.

Any individual performances should probably come with an asterisk next to them considering the standard of the opposition, but Shelvey has impressed on his full England debut. His passing has been good and he is always open to take possession. He is being given a lot of space by the hosts, but he has used that well and Hodgson will be encouraged by the Swansea man's performance in that first half.

One other feature of the first half was just how bad the pitch is. The ball is bobbling everywhere, which is making it difficult for England to get many flowing passing moves going. They are the only team trying to play any football, so it is they who are getting the worst of it, and even players of the calibre that England boast are struggling to deal with the state of the surface.

KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half as they close in on a place at Euro 2016. They are just 45 minutes away!

That's not a bad start to the second half! Within 15 seconds of kickoff England have their third goal, with Barkley planting a header home from the middle of the area. Oxlade-Chamberlain was the creator, beating his marker for pace on the right flank before sending a cross into the middle that beat Rooney but found Barkley unmarked to finish. That is his first senior international goal.

Almost a chance for Rooney to add a quick second at the start of the half, but he can't get enough on an attempted flick to beat the keeper, who collects pretty comfortably.

How many more can England get now? They have started the second half with a renewed vigour and look keen to up the tempo of the match. That is the way to find space against this team, while they have also started to use the wings more often than they did in the first half.

Barkley sends a lovely crossfield pass over to Shaw, who has found a bit of space in an advanced position down the left channel. His first touch is OK, but his cross is behind Milner and the chance goes begging.

It will be interesting to see when Hodgson will turn to his bench in this match. The majority waiting in the wings have already had a chance on the international stage, so the England boss may keep the likes of Stones, Vardy and Shelvey on until quite late.

Almost an embarrassing moment for Stones as he gifts the ball to Selva right on the edge of his own box, but fortunately the hosts are unable to take advantage. A mis-hit shot eventually arrives and it sliced away by Jagielka up into the arms of Hart. That may be the keeper's first touch of the game.

England immediately race up the other end, but Rooney's touch inside the box lets him down when well placed.

England are preparing a double change now, with Delph and Kane ready to be introduced. Could Rooney be coming off, or has Hodgson seen enough of Vardy perhaps?

ENGLAND SUBS: Here is your answer - Rooney departs stranded on 49 goals to be replaced by Harry Kane, which means he could break the record at Wembley against Switzerland on Tuesday. Fabian Delph, meanwhile, replaces Milner.

England win another corner and an Everton pair look to connect as Barkley sends his corner towards the near post, where Stones has made the run. He gets a foot to the ball and does well to turn it goalwards, but the angle is against him and the ball slams into the side-netting.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Delph at the back post, but he can't connect with his volley right. Oxlade-Chamberlain again was the creator down the right, bursting past his man before hoisting a high cross to the back post. Delph goes for a difficult first-time volley, but slams it into the ground and sees it bounce wide.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has the beating of his man down the right. His pace is causing the San Marino left-back all sorts of problems, and the Arsenal man only really needs to focus on doing the same thing every time - beat him on the outside then put a cross into the middle.

SHOT! Decent play from England, with Shelvey right at the heart of the move once again. He eventually feeds the ball in to Shaw, who in turn gives it to Delph. However, the new Man City man curls his effort over the top from the edge of the box.

ENGLAND SUB: A third and final change for Roy Hodgson's side sees Theo Walcott come on in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

That's not a bad way to announce your arrival in the game! Walcott makes it four with his first touch, turning home Delph's low cross at the back post from close range. It was nice football from England in the build-up as Kane, Shaw and Delph combined, with the latter's cross just evading Shaw before being turned home.

Joe Hart has a touch... and it's not a very good one! The ball comes trickling through to the keeper and, with a blue shirt closing in on him, he fumbles the ball while trying to pick it up. He does collect it at the second attempt, but that was almost a howler from England's number one.

SHOT! Clyne fancies getting his own name on the scoresheet as he ends a passing move with a speculative effort from range. He gets plenty behind his shot, but it ends up a couple of yards wide of the far post.

SAN MARINO SUB: A first change for the hosts as Bonini is replace by Luca Tosi.

SAN MARINO SUB: That is quickly followed by another San Marino change as Danilo Rinaldi comes on for Selva.

Harry Kane's goal drought is over, and he didn't take this one like a player who hasn't scored yet this season. Shelvey feeds a lovely through-ball behind the defence for Kane, who finds himself in on goal with only the keeper to beat. He keeps his composure and lifts one over the keeper. Very good goal.

England have a sixth, and it is two for Theo Walcott off the bench! Barkley acts as the creator this time, holding off a challenge to slide a pass through for the sub, who just about stays onside before slotting the ball into the bottom corner. Two in as many minutes for the visitors.

SAN MARINO SUB: The third and final change for the hosts sees Davide Simoncini replaced by Alessandro Della Valle, who has scored own goals in his last two matches against England.

CHANCE! Big chance for Walcott to bag himself a hat-trick! Stones strides out from defence before slipping a pass through to Walcott, who has again made that run from outside to in that San Marino simply can't cope with at the moment. This time his finish is lacking, however, as he pokes the ball wide of the target.

SAVE! San Marino have a shot on target! The ball is flicked on to Vitaioli, who benefits from a slip from an England defender to curl an effort straight into the hands of Hart from the edge of the box.

Bright play from Barkley down the right as he beats his man with a dip of the shoulder, but he slips when putting the cross in and the ball flies through to safety.

Vardy hasn't really been in the game much this afternoon, particularly in the last 20 minutes or so. The likes of Shelvey and, to a lesser extent, Stones, have taken their chance, but it would be a surprise if Vardy was to maintain his spot for Tuesday's match against Switzerland.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.

CHANCE! Late chance for Kane to add a seventh for England as he latches on to chipped through-ball into the area. He chests it down well, but then misses the ball with his attempted finish before being snuffed out by the keeper.

A job well done for England in Serravalle as they cruise to a 6-0 victory over San Marino to book their place at Euro 2016, becoming the first side to do so. They have also qualified in record time having never sealed their spot at a major international tournament with three games to spare before now. Their 100% record remains intact on what was an easy afternoon for Roy Hodgson's side.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Rooney equals Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record to help England to a 6-0 triumph over San Marino. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!