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European Championship | Qualifiers
Jun 14, 2015 at 5pm UK
 
EN

2-3

Novakovic (37'), Pecnik (84')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Wilshere (57', 73'), Rooney (86')

Player Ratings: Slovenia 2-3 England

:Headline: Player Ratings: Slovenia 2-3 England: ID:228081: from db_amp
Sports Mole rates the best and worst players in the Euro 2016 qualifier between Slovenia and England at the Stozice Stadium.

Wayne Rooney struck a late winner as England came from behind to earn a 3-2 victory over Slovenia in their Euro 2016 qualifier.

Milivoje Novakovic gave the hosts the lead when he raced onto Josip Ilicic's through ball and slotted a low effort into the corner.

Jack Wilshere then levelled the scores with a powerful strike into the top corner, before firing in another stunning goal to give the visitors the lead.

Nejc Pecnik's header looked to have earned a point for Slovenia, but moments later, Rooney broke through and placed a strike into the corner to seal the points for England.

Here, Sports Mole rates the best and worst performances from the Stozice Stadium.


SLOVENIA:

Goal

Samir Handanovic: Made a stunning stop to deny Rooney in the first half, but he could have done nothing about Wilshere's two stunning goals. (7/10)

Defence

Miso Brecko: Was given a tough evening by Sterling and was caught out on a couple of occasions by the winger. However, he was generally solid and put in a robust display. (6/10)

Bostjan Cesar: The Slovenia captain put in a battling display, but he was lucky not to be sent off for catching Rooney with an elbow in the second half. (6/10)

Branko Ilic: Another of the back four who put in plenty of effort, but he did lose track of Rooney on more than one occasion. (6/10)

Bojan Jokic: Set up Pecnik's goal with a fine cross and kept Townsend quiet down his side of the pitch, but an unfortunate deflection off him led to Rooney racing through and scoring the winner. (6/10)

Midfield

Josip Ilicic: Played a wonderful through ball to set up the opening goal. However, he struggled to establish himself on the match and was replaced after the break by Birsa. (6/10)

Jasmin Kurtic: Committed display as ever from the midfielder, but could not stop England from dominating possession in the centre of the pitch. (6/10)

Andraz Kirm: Did not see too much of the ball and failed to stamp his authority on the game. (5/10)

Kevin Kampl: Showed plenty of neat touches and promise for Slovenia, but his final ball let him down and he finished the game by picking up a yellow card. (6/10)

Ales Mertelj: Decent showing from the Maribor player, who worked hard for his team all evening and won a number of important tackles. (7/10)

Attack

Milivoje Novakovic: The veteran took his goal extremely well and he caused plenty of trouble for England's backline all evening. (7/10)

Substitutes

Valter Birsa: Did not make too much of an impact after his arrival. (6/10)

Nejc Pecnik: Scored a fine header that left Hart with no chance and looked to have earned his team a point before Rooney's winner. (7/10)

Dejan Lazarevic: Came on in the closing stages, but could not help Slovenia to wrestle control of the midfield. (6/10)


ENGLAND:

Goal

Joe Hart: The keeper had little chance of stopping the two goals, with his defence providing little protection to him on each occasion. He did not have much else to do, as England dominated for large spells. (6/10)

Defence

Phil Jones: Was relatively untroubled down his side of the pitch, but was at fault along with the rest of the defence for the opener. He failed to reappear for the second half, after going off with an injury. (6/10)

Gary Cahill: Badly caught out for the first goal, as his attempts to play Novakovic offside failed miserably. He was more solid after the break, but still looked capable of a mistake. (5/10)

Chris Smalling: Along with Cahill, he was exposed for the opening goal of the match and did not look comfortable all evening. (5/10)

Kieran Gibbs: Got forward well and delivered a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, but he was outjumped by Pecnik as the midfielder headed in late on. (6/10)

Midfield

Jack Wilshere: Outstanding display from the Arsenal midfielder, who scored two wonderful goals to give his team the lead. He also covered every blade of grass and helped England to control the midfield. (9/10)

Jordan Henderson: Decent performance from the Liverpool player, who showed some neat touches in the first half. He switched to right-back after the break and always looked to get forward from an unfamiliar position. (7/10)

Fabian Delph: Had a decent game and linked up well with the rest of the team, but lacked composure and was let down by his decision making in the final third. (6/10)

Attack

Wayne Rooney: The England captain secured all three points with a well-taken goal in the closing stages. He had missed some earlier openings, but led the line well and showed his importance to the team. (7/10)

Raheem Sterling: Lively display from the winger, who caused Slovenia problems all evening with his direct running. Along with Rooney, he did miss a couple of very presentable chances to score, but he repaid Hodgson for the faith that his manager has shown in him. (7/10)

Andros Townsend: Not the greatest of performances from the Tottenham Hotspur player. He struggled to get into the match and was eventually replaced by Walcott after running out of steam. (5/10)

Substitutes

Adam Lallana: Made a great impact after being brought on at half time and played a big part in England's equaliser. (7/10)

Theo Walcott: Was brought on for Townsend and got involved in the game straight away. His pace put the visitors under huge pressure and he played a vital role in the winning goal. (7/10)

Nathaniel Clyne: Came on in the closing stages to help shore up the right flank. (6/10)


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