England...Win!

Group hug: English relief at victory

Well, that was more like it, wasn't it?

After all the build-up and tension following the first two p*ss poor group games, England finally put in a performance to be proud of as they beat Slovenia 1-0 to qualify for the last 16.

Fabio Capello was under pressure from fans (and apparently players) to change things, and he did so with James Milner coming in for Aaron Lennon and Jermaine Defoe displacing Emile Heskey.

And the changes were spot-on as Defoe sneaked past his marker to slot home a beautiful cross from Milner on the right-hand side.

The 22nd minute strike was the least they deserved after a controlled opening, with England keeping hold of the ball much better with no big man to knock it long to.

With Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry in the middle, Steven Gerrard was again on the left, but this time he seemed a lot more flexible and drifted in to support Rooney and Defoe, whilst tracking back when needed.

England as a whole were a lot more relaxed, snapping into tackles and pinging the ball about in a style you'd expect from Premiership footballers.

Perhaps Fabio Capello's decision to have a little drink on Tuesday night worked?

Having said that, England couldn't find that elusive second goal, with Steven Gerrard, Defoe and John Terry missing clear-cut chances.

Despite being outplayed throughout, Slovenia could still have made England pay with a a couple of glaring opportunities of their own, but Terry and then Glen Johnson threw their bodies in the way to block two shots from inside the box.

Matthew Upson, another Capello change, also played his part with a superb last-minute tackle in the box to deny the Slovenians the chance of equalising and putting themselves through at England's expense.

As it happened, Landon Donovan's late winner against Algeria secured a 1-0 win and gave the Yanks top spot in Group C.

It sets up a mouth-watering last 16 clash between England and Germany this Sunday, although by finishing second England find themselves with a rather tricky route to the final.

After the Germans, who topped Group D after beating Ghana 1-0, they could potentially face Argentina, Spain and Brazil.

If that's the case, Capello and the rest of the country will hope not only that England continue with this level of performance, but also Wayne Rooney is fully fit after being substituted as a precaution after a knock to his ankle.

But, finally, we can say that England's World Cup has started.