<!--Article Start--> <h3 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Theo Walcott strengthened his claim to a central striking role as England defeated Estonia 2-0 at Wembley on Friday to register a ninth win in nine Euro 2016 qualifiers.</strong></h3> <p style="text-align: justify">With record goal-scorer Wayne Rooney injured, Harry Kane led the line for England, but it was Walcott who opened the scoring in a drab game before Raheem Sterling struck a second goal late on.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">It gave Roy Hodgson's side, who have already qualified, a ninth consecutive win in Group E and kept them on course to become only the sixth team to win all of their matches in a European Championship qualifying campaign ahead of Monday's final game away to Lithuania.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"We won, that's always a major positive. We knew it would be a hard 90 minutes," said Hodgson, who handed a debut to 19-year-old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Delle Ali.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"We were unlucky we didn't score a few more. We had the possession in the final third enough, but the ninth victory out of nine was everything here."</p> <p style="text-align: justify">While England's planning for next year's tournament in France is well under way, Slovenia's draw with Lithuania in the evening's other group game means that Estonia have only a mathematical chance of qualifying.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"Now it's over for this qualification," said Estonia coach Magnus Pehrsson.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">"Even if we felt we followed our game plan, when you are ambitious like I am and the team are, it's always a bad feeling when you lose."</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Before kick-off Rooney was presented with a golden boot by Bobby Charlton for netting a record 50th England goal last month, but with the captain sidelined by an ankle injury, Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill led the team out for the first time.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Lining up in a 4-1-4-1 system and showing five changes from last month's 2-0 defeat of Switzerland, England looked to Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana to set the tempo as they set up camp inside the Estonian half.</p> . <p style="text-align: justify">It took less than four minutes for them to register a shot on target, Estonia goalkeeper Mihkel Aksalu parrying a crisp half-volley from Walcott, but frequently their approach play broke down at the final pass.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Fresh from a fine display in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Manchester United, Walcott drilled wide after cutting in from his station on the right flank and also saw an effort deflected into the side-netting by Taijo Teniste.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">With half-time imminent, he put the hosts ahead, darting into the box to collect an imaginative and carefully weighted through ball from Barkley and placing the ball wide of Aksalu.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">It was the former Southampton player's eighth goal in 42 international appearances and his seventh goal in nine matches for club and country.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Hodgson had said that Rooney's injury put Kane in "pole position" for the role of main striker, but the Tottenham man failed to grasp the opportunities that came his way.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">He miscued an attempted volley from a Nathaniel Clyne cross early in the second half and was then thwarted at close-range by Aksalu after the goalkeeper had saved from Lallana.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Barkley, meanwhile, mixed bad with good, running down a blind alley one minute, weaving past three opponents and shooting narrowly wide the next.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">The 21-year-old also produced the only moment of real quality in a dire second half, shimmying between two defenders and unleashing a rasping shot that Aksalu had to push over the bar.</p> <p style="text-align: justify">Sterling netted England's second goal in the 85th minute, polishing off a cross from substitute Jamie Vardy, before Alli came on for his international debut, with Barkley departing.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><strong>By AFP</strong></p> <!--Article End-->