Slovenia 0:1 England: match report

How quickly it turns. It might not have been by the most convincing scoreline but it was with a much-improved performance - vibrant and intense - that England beat Slovenia in Port Elizabeth to qualify second in the group and reach the last 16. At the final whistle the players gathered in a huddle as a show of solidarity. Finally England’s World Cup is up and running.

Fabio Capello and his team were under pressure to ensure that their World Cup did not end prematurely on the Eastern Cape and, while England’s failure to put the game away ensured some pretty frayed nerves on the bench and in the stands in the closing stages, Jermain Defoe’s first-half strike proved enough. England travel to Bloemfontein on Sunday where they will face the winners of Group D.

Capello knew he had to make changes after the abject Algeria performance. Matthew Upson was promoted to central defence in place of the suspended Jamie Carragher while Emile Heskey and Aaron Lennon made way for Defoe and Milner.


Understandably, England made something of a nervy start, with John Terry playing Matthew Upson into trouble and both Glen Johnson and Gareth Barry flying into fouls. The former should have been a booking.

Despite the pitch cutting up terribly, England began to exert pressure. Slowly the confidence was building. Johnson hit a sensational volleyed cross-field pass to Rooney on the left flank. The England No 10 cut inside and floated a cross to the far post where Bostjan Cesar just managed to head it away from the onrushing Gerrard.

Terry and Rooney both went close from corners as England squeezed Slovenia. They could sense the opening was coming.

With 23 minutes played Milner, who had looked the most nervous in the early exchanges, picked up the ball on the right and bent one like Beckham in behind the Slovenian defence. Defoe had darted to the near post, getting ahead of Marko Suler, and the Spurs striker volleyed past Samir Handanovic.

Suddenly England resembled the team that had qualified so effectively. Milner whipped in another cross that Handanvic scrambled off his line desperately to push away from Defoe. It fell to Lampard who could not keep his effort down with the goal empty.

Handanovic was certainly keeping busy. When Gerrard slid Defoe through, the Spurs striker brought a decent save out of the Slovenian keeper.

Rooney got hold of the rebound and cleverly bisected the Slovenian defenders surrounding him to find Gerrard. The England captain tried to pass the ball into the net but Handanovic got down to it - although he was almost embarrassed as the ball squeezed out behind him.

Slovenia had a couple of half-chances in the first half - Terry got across well to block Zlatan Ljubijankic effort after Ashley Cole sliced a clearance - but they were struggling to cope wit the intensity of English pressing. David James was relatively untested, although he had to be alert to punch away Milijove Novakovic’s long range free kick after it took a deflection.

England flew out of the blocks in the second half. They almost immediately pressed Slovenia into conceding a corner which Rooney took quickly. Handanovic punched but only to Barry whose return header was flicked just wide by Defoe.

England thought they had the second just four minutes into the second period. Lampard played an excellent disguised pass into the area for Rooney who pulled the ball back for Defoe to finish. Rooney, though, was marginally offside.

Capello’s team kept coming as they strove for the second. Barry’s deep corner was met by Terry at the far post but his thumping header was turned behind by Handanovic and the Slovenian keeper made a superb save to deny Rooney moments later, just touching his shot onto the post after Lampard had put him clean through.

With the score only 1-0 England could not afford a slip, though, and were reminded of that when Barry gave the ball away allowing Valter Birsa a rare Slovenian shot on target.

Barry did not learn by his mistake as moments later he gifted Slovenia a counter-attack. He owed Terry and Johnson a debt of gratitude as they blocked successive Slovenian shots on goal. Sensing a slight shift in the momentum, Capello decided to change things. To huge cheers Joe Cole came off the bench, with Rooney trudging off, having taken a knock to his ankle.

Was this to be Capello’s defining decision, like Graham Taylor withdrawing Gary Lineker or Alf Ramsey taking off Bobby Charlton? He knew he was taking a risk but it did not cost him - although it needed superb Upson tackle in the penalty area in stoppage time to make sure it didn’t.