Goal by England's 'Ox' gets dad off his back

LONDON (AFP) –

England‘s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (3rd L) scores his country’s fifth goal during the 2014 World Cup qualifying match between England and San Marino at Wembley Stadium in north London on October 12, 2012. Oxlade-Chamberlain opened his goal-scoring account for England against San Marino and silenced his father into the bargain.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened his goal-scoring account for England against San Marino — and silenced his father into the bargain.

The Arsenal winger revealed his father Mark, himself a former England international, had taunted him about his lack of goals.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 19, became his country’s fourth youngest scorer in the 5-0 World Cup qualifying win, mirroring Mark’s own record of one goal in eight games.

However, Chamberlain netted on his debut against Luxembourg and was impatient for Alex to get on the international scoresheet.

“It’s a relief to get the monkey off my back as they say,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said. “I’ve been looking for my first goal for England and my dad’s been pushing me, telling me I need to get a goal.”

He added: “I was plugging away, I was shooting, it wasn’t paying off in the first half but, luckily enough, it went in for me in the second.

“I didn’t have too much time to think about it, to be fair. I think it was a bit of a dodgy touch from Tom Cleverley. I don’t even think he meant to give it to me!

“It just came to me and I’ve just tried to pass it and caress it into the corner.”

Admitting he had never played in such a one-sided game, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Sometimes people, spectators, don’t realise how frustrating that can be, when another team comes and camps behind the ball and puts 11 men behind the ball.

“Obviously, we had a lot of chances and maybe people would say that we should’ve won by more.

“At the end of the day, we needed to get three points and 5-0 I don’t think is a bad scoreline for us, and we can take a lot into the next game.”

That game is Tuesday’s Group H clash in Poland, a significantly more difficult challenge.

Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Their fans will be right up for it, so it’ll be a very hard game for us and we’re going to prepare for it in the same way we do every game, with respect for the opposition.”

England could be without Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Arsenal team-mate and fellow Southampton graduate, Theo Walcott, who was taken to hospital last night for an X-ray on his chest after being clattered early on by San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini.

“He’s important for England and important for Arsenal and obviously he’s my friend as well, so I wish him a speedy recovery,” said Oxlade-Chamberlain.