Rooney relishes wider stage

Four in two games
Rooney has scored four goals in his last two games to become the tournament's top scorer and his manager Sven-Göran Eriksson compared the 18-year-old to the very best after another virtuoso display in which the teenage forward scored two goals and set up another in Lisbon.

Astonishing impact
"I don't remember anyone making such an impact on a tournament since Pelé in the 1958 [FIFA] World Cup in Sweden," the England manager said. "It is not just about the goals that he scores; he is a complete footballer. He drops back and defends, he has vision and he understands the game. What is there to say about him that hasn't already been said?"

'Deserved praise'
England captain David Beckham attempted to find something new to add about the teenage striker, saying: "When you see him [Rooney] perform, nothing fazes him. It was a big game tonight. He has produced again and he deserves all the praise he gets."

Rooney modesty
Rooney, who has now scored nine times in just 16 international appearances, was also unfazed after the match as he played down his impact. "The team did very well today and I'm lucky enough to get two goals," he said. "We just go out there and try to do our job the best we can."

Effective partnership
And the Everton FC striker had words of solace for his strike partner, Michael Owen who plays his club football with Merseyside rivals Liverpool FC and made a comparable impact at the same age at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He said: "We play well together. Michael isn't scoring now but he's set a few goals up for me and I think it's working well."

'No phenomenon'
Croatia coach Otto Baric refused to get carried away with what the English media are calling 'Roomania', saying only: "Rooney is a very good player, but I wouldn't call him a phenomenon."

'Fair result'
But otherwise Baric was magnanimous in defeat. He said: "We are a good team, but we have to work more on the fitness side and simply run more. They were simply the better side and the result was a fair one. They ran more than us and we had a lot of bad luck."

Total control
Eriksson, meanwhile, professed himself impressed by England's overall display. "We played very good football in the first half and controlled everything," he said. "It was a pity they scored. In the second half they started to create something but we played as we should like to play and if we do this on Thursday [in the quarter-final] and in the future, we should be very happy."

'Tough opponents'
While England look forward to a return to the SL Benfica's Estádio da Luz and a mouthwatering meeting with hosts Portugal on Thursday, Croatia head home. But coach Baric had words of warning for Portugal. He said: "England will be a tough opponent for any team and they could win their next match. They are very, very good."

Figo familiarity
England, however, know that Portugal come into that category as well and captain David Beckham, who is likely to come into direct opposition with Real Madrid CF colleague Luís Figo, said: "We're well aware of what their players can produce out there. It's going to be a tough game."