The roar of a lion

England 3 Switzerland 0

There are some who might say there's a bit of Rooney in them all.

Yet the prodigiously-talented tyro brings a je ne sais quoi to this English side which they have not had since the days of Paul Gascoigne and if that is bad as well as good then England will have more reasons to thank Rooney than to criticise him in the years to come.

If his display against Switzerland yesterday was a portent of things to come, he might be the spark they require to go deep into this tournament. Certainly a quarter final with Greece now looks a possibility.

Of course, the Everton teenager might get sent off in their next game. That's the thing with Rooney. No-one quite knows what is coming next.

Not Sven-Goran Eriksson, who relayed the word to assistant Steve McClaren to tell Rooney to stop racing around like a bull mastiff in search of a bone, anyone's bone. Not David Beckham, who did likewise when Rooney was booked for a studs-showing clash with Swiss goalkeeper Jorg Stiel after which he seemed bent on retribution.

And certainly not Switzerland, who watched Rooney head the crucial goal to become the youngest player at 18 years and 237 days to score in a European Championships.

There followed a routine straight out of football's version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A flying somersault, kicked down the corner flag, booted a television microphone into the next life before being restrained with a fatherly arm around the shoulders by Gary Neville.

That was not his only contribution to an England side which for long periods looked drained, mentally and physically, from their dramatic defeat by France last Sunday.

There were nonchalant flicks, little drag backs and a Scouse swagger which verged on arrogance. And, of course, the ferocious shot in the 75th minute which cannoned off the post, hit goalkeeper Stiel on the head and ended up in the Switzerland net.

Class, style ... and luck as well. Eriksson truly is the most fortunate of managers to inherit the most natural footballing talent in England for a generation.

One tends to dwell on Rooney not just because of his outrageous talent in truth, there was very little else to commend an England display, even though their 3-0 victory makes them favourites to progress from Group B in second place behind France.

If West Brom full-back Bernt Haas had not got himself sent off for two agricultural challenges on Steven Gerrard and then Ashley Cole, leaving Switzerland to play the last half-hour with 10 men, this could even have become an embarrassing afternoon for Eriksson.

Indeed, if it had been a boxing match Switzerland might well have got the verdict on points, if not on punches.

The diamond formation lasted all of five minutes as Switzerland swept through England's midfield with such ease that it was either change or perish.

The flat midfield did not fare much better as Switzerland playmaker Hakan Yakin proved by far the most creative force on the pitch.

England simply do not look happy with the chopping and changing and surely it must be wiser to settle on a formation which puts all the players in their comfort zone and challenge the opposition to beat you from a position of strength.

Against a better side England would not have got away with squandering so much possession. If Switzerland had a finisher worth the description they would also have been punished, such was the quality of Hakan Yakin's set-piece delivery.

Michael Owen, substituted after 75 minutes for the second successive game, continues to appear out-of-sorts, while David Beckham still cannot exert his authority.

And while Gerrard scored England's third goal and played in fits and starts it is Frank Lampard who continues to carry England's midfield challenge.

Rooney accepted afterwards that "it was not the best performance" but his manager accentuated the positives.

"When you lose as we did on Sunday you never know what the reaction will be. I thought the reaction would be very good and it was. We've done the job and the three points are the most important thing."

Eriksson praised the contribution of Rooney: "He worked very hard and congratulations to him at 18 that performance at this level is wonderful.

"The heat affected both teams but I'm happy because our fitness level is much better than it was in the World Cup in 2002 so that's good for the future."

ENGLAND: James, Gary Neville, Campbell, Terry, Ashley Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes (Hargreaves 70), Owen (Vassell 72), Rooney (Dyer 83).

SWITZERLAND: Stiel, Haas, Murat Yakin, Muller, Spycher, Huggel, Celestini (Cabanas 53), Wicky, Chapuisat (Gygax 45), Hakan Yakin (Vonlanthen 84), Frei.

Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia).