England finally made their presence felt at the World Cup by securing the 1-nil win they needed over Slovenia in Port Elizabeth to reach the last 16.

Jermain Defoe's close range strike midway through the first half was enough to give Fabio Capello's side the three points they required to avoid an early departure from South Africa and finish second behind the United States in Group C.

And after the misery of Friday's draw against Algeria in Cape Town and the controversy surrounding former captain John Terry's comments about the mood in the camp, Capello will have been delighted to see England produce a hugely improved performance under pressure.

The only serious flaw in England's display was their failure to finish off Slovenia after dominating proceedings.

England's only mission was to secure the win.

Now Capello and his players will hope they can make their mark in South Africa after a faltering start to their campaign.

In another game, USA were on the brink of going out of the competition when Landon Donovan followed up a sharp save from the goalkeeper in the 92nd minute to smash the ball home for a 1-nil win against Algeria.

Until that moment it had been a story of inspired saves from Algeria and poor American finishing and a lineman's error, which denied Clint Dempsey a goal in the first half.

But Donovan's late intervention delivered a deserved victory, which pushed England into second place in Group C on goals scored following their 1 0 victory over Slovenia.
 
Games currently underway, Germany and Ghana are locked nil all and Australia and Serbia are also scoreless.