How well does Fabio Capello know Slovenia? Well, if the ambulance had got lost on the way to the hospital he might have been born on Slovenian soil.

Capello is from the small town of San Canzian d'Isonzo in north eastern Italy, just six miles from the border with Slovenia. That's closer than the distance between Soho Square and Wembley stadium. "He's like our neighbour," said one Slovenian journalist after the draw on Friday night.

The Slovenians like to remind Italians that they were the only team to beat them on their route to become world champions four years ago, albeit in the qualifying rounds.

There will be little neighbourly spirit for Capello come June 23 though, when England line up against Slovenia in the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth. It will be the last game in Group C, the weakness of which should mean Slovenia go into the game with a chance of qualifying for the last 16. They will relish that.

The Slovenians are in the process of building a national myth around their football team, one that was forged in their dramatic play-off victory against Russia. This was football's Thermopylae, a nation of 2 million standing up against one of 140 million. Only the Slovenians did better than the Spartans: they won [there's no away goals rule in war].

Russia's inspiration was Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal's obscenely gifted forward; Slovenia looked to Robert Koren, who applies his crisp passing to West Bromwich Albion's cause in the Championship [when he gets a game].

Russia have had funds lavished on them in a bid to ensure they got to South Africa, with the oracular Guus Hiddink retained at a premium; Slovenia have a coach with the faintly comic name of Matjaz Kek, who three years ago was coaching the nation's Under 15s.

Having refused to roll over in Moscow – they pulled a late goal back to only lose 2-1 – Slovenia were pumped up for the return leg in the tightly-packed new stadium in Maribor.

With the 1-0 win, and progress on away goals, Slovenia's national team forged a new identity: the faceless and egoless team, a cohesive organism ready to expose the individualistic cracks in the supposedly superior. They drank in unison too: the celebrations spilled from the Wednesday night to the weekend.

Despite being just 18 years old, Slovenia are going to their second World Cup finals. Their previous appearance, at Japan-Korea 2002, ended without distinction: they lost all three games – to South Africa, Paraguay and Spain – and the whole thing was overshadowed by the Roy Keane-like behaviour of the team's undisputed star player Zlatko Zahovic.

He fell out with Srecko Katanec, the scarily intense coach, delivering the following pithy assessment of their relations: "You're a prick of a coach and you were a prick of a player. I could buy you, your house and your family."

The miracle of Maribor has fused team spirit so tightly that there is no danger of a repeat performance. Anyway, there is nobody in the squad with an ego even one percent the size of Zahovic's.

England shouldn't need any further warning of Slovenia being a team great than a sum of its parts. Largely forgotten because of the subsequent crushing of Croatia at Wembley is the Sep 5 friendly against Slovenia when England were lucky to get away with a 2-1 win.

It was as sloppy a performance as England's best side have given under Capello and one that had him frustrated by the lapses of concentration that are rapidly becoming the hallmark of this English defence. The casualness of England was further highlighted by Slovenia's tidy efficiency.

They only went behind as a result of a fortuitous penalty and lucky Jermain Defoe deflection, and still managed to pull a goal back at the end. Kek's game plan ensured that Glen Johnson, in particular, was given a hard time and there will no doubt be a repeat targeting of England's most vulnerable position come June.

One thing's for sure – if Slovenia were to upset England in Port Elizabeth next summer, the celebrations would be raucous. As the citizens of San Canzian d'Isonzo wonder what happened to the World Cup 2010 dream of their favourite son, they will be able to hear the fireworks rattling off across the border.

Did you know

Slovenia won the most medals per capita at the Beijing Olympics

The first ski descent of Mount Everest was made by a Slovenian

Slovenia is a member of the International Cricket Council

Slovenia is smaller than the state of New Jersey

Slovenia has the lowest marriage rate in the EU

President George W. Bush described Slovenia as “an interesting slice of heaven”