England are now 9/1 to lift the World Cup after they secured progression to the last-16 of the tournament by beating Slovenia 1-0.
However, they did do it the hard way, missing a raft of chances before a last-ditch challenge from Matthew Upson preserved their slender lead.
England took the lead through Jermain Defoe in the 22nd minute after he latched on to a delightful cross from the imperious James Milner.
The performances of Defoe, Milner and Upson justified their inclusion in the side and will reduce the doubts of some over the managerial capabilities of England boss Fabio Capello, who had been questioned following the 0-0 draw against Algeria.
The USA’s last-gasp win against Algeria – courtesy of a Landon Donovan goal deep into injury time – means that the Americans top the group on goals scored and will face the runners-up of Group D in Rustenburg on Saturday evening.
England face the winners of Group D in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon, which could be Germany if they beat Ghana this evening (Ghana 6/1, Draw 10/3, Germany 4/9). The prospect of the two old foes meeting in knockout football promises to be a mouth-watering affair and England will need to step up again if they are to have any chance of beating the stylish Germans.
Speaking after the game, Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp praised the performance of his club striker Defoe, and said that England had little to fear from Germany.
He told the BBC: “There wasn’t a weakness in the team tonight. I think we’ve got a big chance still to win the competition. It could be Germany in the next round but bring them on. I still think we can beat them.
“As for Jermain’s goal – it was great movement, a great cross and fantastic finish. The little man has done it all his life. He has always had that natural instinct to get across defenders like all good goalscorers.”
Wayne Rooney was substituted in the second half amid fears about his ongoing ankle injury.
He has been cut to 33/1 in totesport’s World Cup top goalscorer betting after he failed to score in the group stage and missed a couple of gilt-edged chances against Slovenia, including an occasion when he had an effort pushed on to the post. There are doubts about whether he will feature in the second round game but Fabio Capello confirmed that he “should be okay”.
Capello was under criticism for the performance of his side during the first two group games and he claimed that this was not the team that he knew in his post-match comments after the 0-0 draw against Algeria. Speaking after today’s game, he was far happier.
“This is what I wanted to see – the spirit, see them fight together,” he said. “I am really, really happy. I rediscovered the team I knew from qualification.”
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