England fans, you can breathe again.
After 180 minutes of unadulterated torture at the World Cup, England finally put together 90 minutes of which they can be proud. Those watching may have suffered a minor heart attack or two, or at the very least a severe attack of heartburn, but Wednesday’s performance was finally the one we all expected to see.
After four days of chaos, drama, and aborted mutiny, Fabio Capello reasserted his control over the England team. Out went Emile Heskey and Aaron Lennon, and in strode a confident Jermain Defoe and a James Milner with plenty to prove. The one other change, enforced, was Matthew Upson in place of the suspended Jamie Carragher. And, in truth, Upson looked at home at the heart of the back four.
As much as this match was about the three points, the performance was also important after wretched displays against the USA and Algeria. And, for once, England delivered.
From the opening whistle, this England display contained all of the virtues that make English football so attractive to watch. The energy levels were higher than in the previous two matches, there was snap in the tackles, and perhaps most pleasing from a supporters' point of view, there was a desire to get on the ball. England looked comfortable for the first time in this World Cup. And there was even a fighting spirit; a desire to win back the ball if possession was lost.
This was certainly a day for experienced campaigners to lead England. From Steven Gerrard, we saw a captain's performance, where he rolled back the years to his golden period of 2005 (when he won the UEFA Champions League) and 2006 (when he won the FA Cup). Gone was the square pass; now it was all about the forward pass and the driving runs from deep.
Of course, all of the plaudits will go to Defoe, who took his goal superbly after a splendid cross by Milner. And when you talk about Defoe, you talk about a streaky goal scorer. When he is hot, he is hot — as his record of 30 goals in the past season proves. His movement off the ball was dynamic, he was hungry around the box, and he oozed class.
Defensively, England looked in control as well. David James, the goalkeeper, looked comfortable, which was something of a blessing. Having to walk the plank, John Terry was the English bulldog - throwing himself into challenges and becoming the epitome of everything that is good about English athleticism. His Chelsea teammate, Frank Lampard, by contrast, was again disappointing, and he missed the chance to give England an increased lead — Consider that Lampard has recorded more shots in the World Cup without finding the net than any player in history.
Coming into South Africa, though, who would have thought we could talk about an England victory without a significant mention for Wayne Rooney. It was, alas, another day of frustration for England's talisman. Earlier this season, to find Rooney clear with only the goalkeeper to beat was tantamount to a guaranteed goal. Here, however, the expected goal became a shot that hit the post. It was a relief when Capello substituted Rooney.
An unhappy Wayne Rooney is an ineffective Wayne Rooney, and one wonders when Capello will make the bold decision to drop the Manchester United striker. Maybe Rooney would be more effective coming off the bench, as a substitute, when the pressure would be less and the desire to impress greater.
Regardless, England marches into the last 16. It was not convincing, but it has the shades of Italia 1990, in which England finished fourth after a heartbreaking semifinal defeat to West Germany. Who knows, England might meet Germany again, although this time in the second round.
The England players have now been released from the shackles of the pressure that dogged them in the group stages. They can now go into the knockout rounds with confidence and the belief that, whatever has happened before, they are where they deserve to be - and where they belong.
Nick Webster is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the English national team and the Barclays Premier League.
