SAINTS skipper James Ward-Prowse described as a "boyhood dream come true" scoring his first goal for England.
Ward-Prowse, lining up in midfield for Gareth Southgate's men at Wembley, turned home left-footed from a low Ben Chilwell cross in the 14th minute to break the deadlock against San Marino last night.
The 26-year-old completed the full 90 minutes of the comfortable 5-0 win, on his fifth senior England appearance.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged a brace while there were also goals for Raheem Sterling and debutant Ollie Watkins.
Ward-Prowse went close to adding a second goal to his name late on via a trademark free-kick, but goalkeeper Elia Benedettini made an impressive save to tip the effort onto the post.
Speaking about his first England goal, Ward-Prowse told Sky Sports: "It's a boyhood dream come true. It's a moment that I think you wait for as a kid and you dream of.
"I did a little bit of work in the week on the finishing, in and around the box and knew that the more advanced position I was playing, there was a responsibility to get in the box.
"Chilly picked me out well and the left foot wasn't too bad in the end!"
In a separate interview with ITV, Ward-Prowse added: "I think it's a moment you dream of as a kid, playing in the garden at home.
"To fulfil that at Wembley, playing for England, it's a dream come true and I'm over the moon."
Quizzed on his golf-swing celebration dedicated to his son Oscar, Ward-Prowse added: "I play a lot of golf with him in the garden and the last thing he said to me was not forget to do it. So as soon as it went in I thought, he's going to enjoy that moment."
Victory over San Marino was the first game of the Three Lions' 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.
England return to action against Albania on Sunday (5pm).
Ward-Prowse has been in fine form for Saints this season, scoring eight goals in 34 appearances, not missing a minute of action in the process.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article