JOY: England celebrate Defoe's winner

IT should not have been this painful. This excruciatingly painful.

But England's long walk to freedom started at Nelson Mandela Bay.

Now the slate is wiped clean and if Fabio Capello's squad can reproduce the patches of form they showed here over ninety minutes in Bloemfontein on Sunday, then this World Cup campaign could yet surprise us.

"We have found the spirit again," said the England manager after Jermain Defoe's first half strike secured a place in the last sixteen.

"These players have the quality - they are all very good players."

All is pushing it a touch.

But this was an afternoon when the very good players stood up to be counted.

Steven Gerrard led by superb, tireless example and John Terry was almost demonic in his approach.

Even Wayne Rooney - before he made way for Joe Cole towards the end of a fraught occasion - hinted at something approaching his vintage form.

The World Cup is waiting for the real Rooney. Let's hope we get him on Sunday.

He will certainly get the support of his team-mates. Nothing heals rifts like a priceless victory.

That is why the players huddled together, bellowing their determination not to allow this to be their penultimate game of South Africa 2010.

Let's not kid ourselves, Slovenia were poor. And for England to have to be indebted to a late, desperate Matthew Upson tackle - yes, Matthew Upson - to ensure progress was a damning indictment of their overall form at this tournament.

But this WAS better. After Defoe had volleyed in James Milner's cross, England had a spell when they actually pieced meaningful passes together.

Had Gerrard sacrificed a touch of precision for power with one attempt, the rest of the contest would not have been so nerve-shredding.

Rooney could also have calmed matters but his second half strike was tipped on to the post.

That guaranteed intense anxiety for the closing minutes but one decision Capello has got right in this tournament was to recall David James.

He did not have anything too strenuous to do but his handling was secure and his presence reassuring.

Upson - despite that late challenge - looked vulnerable and certainly will be to better offensive than Slovenia could muster.

The choice of Terry's partner will be a big call for Capello.

The rest of the team - presuming Rooney's ankle problem is as slight as Capello suggested - will surely be unchanged.

After a jittery start, Milner was effective on the right flank and Gerrard was disciplined in his role on the left.

There is surely plenty more to come from those giants of the Premier League, Lampard and Rooney.

And in a perverse way, the torrent of criticism England received over the last week has probably united the squad.

They have a fresh cause. Not just to advance in this World Cup but to prove the vehement critics wrong.

And maybe the rebellion that never was did force Fabio to reassess his style of leadership.

He even suggested his players had a glass of beer the night before the game.

And if they can now take some momentum from this into Sunday afternoon's match, we might all be toasting a quarter-final in Cape Town on Saturday week.