England vs Poland: Rooney and Gerrard On Cloud Nine After Sealing Qualification for 2014 World Cup

Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, England's two goalscorers in their 2-0 win over Poland, were buzzing after helping their side qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

England needed a win in their final game against Poland to ensure qualification for the epic tournament in Brazil next summer, and despite a few nervy moments, and a Robert Lewandowski miss here and there, the home side did what they had to do in front of a capacity crowd at Wembley.

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring on the back of a brilliant attacking spell from the home side towards the end of the first half, before Steven Gerrard made the game safe late on.

"I'm feeling really high at the moment," Gerrard told TheFA.com. "I said yesterday (Monday) that it would be a very proud feeling if we can achieve qualification.

"I've had some wonderful nights as a Liverpool player and captain, but to lead the team to Rio is a special feeling. You can see my reaction after the second goal when we knew it was in the bag how happy I was.

"I got a little bit of a lucky break but I gave it everything I've got. I was tired and didn't have much left in the locker, but it was one final push. It was a great team performance all round. I know me and Wayne got the goals, but it was a great effort from the squad.

"Everyone has played their part, this team has been through it all. We've had a bit of criticism and had highs and lows, but what we have shown is that we'll never give up and we'll keep fighting."

Hodgson has been criticized at times for reining in England's attacking qualities a little too much during qualification. However, on Tuesday, England, particularly in a 20-minute spell in the first half, were quite impressive going forward with Andros Townsend yet again catching everyone's eye on the wings.

"We're delighted. It was a great game, very end-to-end and we showed some great moments with a lot of great attacking play," Rooney said. "We fully deserved the victory.

"There was a 20-minute period in the first half where we really went for them and created a lot of chances. Their goalkeeper made some great saves and we knew if we didn't get the goal then it would have been disappointing.

"But thankfully we managed to get the goal and come in at halftime with that lead.

"We started the second half really sloppy to be honest but we got a bit of a foothold on the game again towards the end and thankfully Stevie got the goal that sealed it.

"It was an entertaining match and we had the better moments in the game and deserved the victory."

The 2-0 victory comes on the back of a 4-1 result against Montenegro, with England picking up six perfect points in their final two matches to secure that dream berth in the World Cup.

"The last two performances have been really positive," added Rooney who scored seven goals in six qualifying games, including a couple in the last two. "Some of the young players who have come into the squad have been fantastic for us -- there is a good blend.

"There's an excitement around the team and we've got a few games now to prepare for the World Cup so hopefully we can do that right and see what happens.

"We have always remained positive. We have had a great belief in ourselves and from the manager."