England struggled to improve upon their turgid performances at Euro 2016 until Lallana rescued them at the last to leave Allardyce rubbing the penny given to him by a wheelchair-bound fan on the morning of the game in his post-match press conference.
“A father of a son in a wheelchair came to the hotel this morning and asked if it was okay to have a picture with his son,” Allardyce said. “When we finished he said: 'Let me give you a lucky coin.'
“Here it is. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it'll stay with me.
"I'm not really superstitious but I'm going to keep it. It's got us a last-minute winner. I wonder how far it will take us."
Wayne Rooney’s 116th appearance made him England’s most capped outfield player and Allardyce admitted he had allowed his captain to play in a deeper midfield role than he had intended because of his experience.
“He holds a lot more experience in international football than me as an international manager,” he said. “Using his experience with a team, and playing as a team member, it’s not for me to say where he’s going to play.