English avoid last orders

IT HAS taken a very English-style one-man mutiny, a heap of criticism and no end of tension but England have made it through to the last 16 of the World Cup, and they did it by having a glass of beer.

Fabio Capello, the super-strict disciplinarian famed for his list of stringent rules, took a leaf out of Brian Clough’s book last night to inspire his team to victory at last in South Africa.

A goal scored by Jermain Defoe, chosen ahead of Emile Heskey, and created by James Milner, who was picked ahead of Aaron Lennon, was enough to beat Slovenia and earn England second place in Group C despite a miserable start to the tournament that had involved grinding out draws against the USA and Algeria.

So after a week in which John Terry needed to be reprimanded for complaining about the Italian’s team selection and managerial style, credit must go to Capello and his willingness to compromise.

When asked if he would allow the England players a beer to celebrate qualification he surprised everyone present by saying: “Yesterday evening they drank beer, before the game. You can ask them! It’s true, I changed something. Used my imagination. It was free. South African beer.”

It’s not exactly a new tactic, Cloughie famously used to take his Nottingham Forest team for a drink before big European matches to relax their nerves. But it is certainly something unusual for Capello and perhaps it shows he is finally getting to know his players and accept their English foibles.

Certainly he got the best out of them in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, even if the team’s inability to add to Defoe’s 22nd-minute opener led to a nervy finish.

England will play their last 16 match in Bloemfontein on Sunday, with a possible quarter-final against Argentina to follow.

Not easy, but at least Capello’s players showed glimpses of their potential with a performance full of energy, verve and determination.

Defoe’s goal was classically finished and superbly created, starting with a swift counter attack from Gareth Barry and Glen Johnson and ending with a dangerous waist-high cross from Milner that was thumped home on the run by the late-arriving Tottenham striker from six yards.

It more than justified Capello’s decision to jettison the profligate Heskey.

There are still problems for England to consider, not least a possible ankle injury for Wayne Rooney who was substituted in the second half having hit the post and once again failed to hit top form.

But overall Capello, who expects Rooney to be fit for Sunday, was right to feel happy. “For us, it was really important. We had to win and we won,” he said. “I saw the team really well on the pitch, with the spirit that we’d lost in the games we played before this game. The performance of the team was really, really good.

“This is the team that I know. This is the spirit I remember when we played the qualification games.

“I’m sure that we’ll play with more confidence now because we refound the spirit. We have to go forward and beat all the teams now but. the quality of the players is really good. We improved a lot, physically, because we ran a lot today, pressed a lot, and won back the ball really well.”

After such a fractured week it seemed impossible that England would be able to go from mutiny to unity but Capello’s side appear to have done so, finally discovering the energy and flowing football that got them to the finals in the first place.

Defoe’s strike visibly lifted a group of players who have been under intense pressure and there were certainly opportunities to make the victory more convincing.

Lampard had a wonderful chance after another Milner cross caused havoc in the Slovenia defence before goalkeeper Samir Handanovic made a fine double save from Defoe and Gerrard, all in the first half.

Livewire Defoe should have scored shortly after the break, sending an excellent chance wide, and then had an effort ruled out for offside. So when Rooney collected an excellent pass from Barry completely alone in the penalty area – and still managed to hit the post – you could sense the nerves beginning to jangle in a stadium that was packed full of England fans.

However some strong defending, particularly from John Terry and Matthew Upson who threw their bodies on the line to produce last-gasp blocks, ensured Capello’s side clinched their place in the knockout stages.

There will be a few more beers downed across England if they can repeat the act on Sunday.

Substitutes for England: J Cole for Rooney 72, Heskey for Defoe 86.

Substitutes for Slovenia: Matavz for Kirm 79, Dedic for Ljubijankic 62.

Referee: W Stark (Germany).