Allowed the luxury of a pre-match ale by their usually stentorian boss Fabio Capello, England relaxed and succeeded 1-0 against Slovenia.

They will now will face old rivals Germany in the second round after getting their World Cup campaign on track in Port Elizabeth.

The sins of earlier matches enabled the United States to take top spot in Group C with an injury-time winner over Algeria, meaning England finished runners-up and Slovenia - who had begun the day on top of the table - were eliminated.

Jermain Defoe sent England to the knockout stages with a 23rd minute volley, earning praise from manager Fabio Capello.

"This was the team which I loved to see in qualifying," said Capello. "We played with freedom, our minds were free."

He revealed that the relaxation of an alcohol ban had helped loosen up his men somewhat.

"They were allowed to drink beer before the game, you can ask them," said Capello.

"It's true. I changed something and used my imagination."

England have a minor injury worry ahead of the showdown against the Germans, with Wayne Rooney taken off after 71 minutes suffering an ankle injury.

But Capello was confident Rooney will recover to take his place on Sunday.

"I substituted Wayne because his ankle was not so good, he has some problems," he said.

Pressed on how serious the injury was, Capello added: "I don't know. I have to wait for the doctor but I think it will be okay for the next game on Sunday."

Capello strode onto the pitch at the final whistle and made a point of embracing John Terry, the former captain who caused huge controversy by questioning the manager's methods at the training camp in Rustenburg.

Capello said of Terry: "He is a leader. I have no problem with the players. I respect the players and they respect me. It was a very important performance from Terry.

"But all the players played really well."

Capello also believes England will improve as the tournament progresses.

"I'm sure we will play more with confidence," he said. "We have found the spirit, the quality of the play was really good and we improved a lot physically."

England skipper Steven Gerrard cautioned against over-optimism after a stuttering campaign.

"You are always anxious when you need to win, but we showed passion, quality and desire," he said.

"We rolled up our sleeves and produced the goods. But we know that if we produce another performance like we did against Algeria, it'll be our last."

It's not just England looking forward to the game, with German coach Joachim Loew admitting he's relishing the prospect.

"It's going to be a special game, there is so much history between us. It's a team with many excellent players and a lot of experience. Rooney can explode any time, we'll have a tough job," Loew said, speaking after his side's 1-0 win over Ghana.

German Football Federation (DFB) president Theo Zwanziger said the national team had faced huge pressure, as Germany have never been knocked out of the group stages at a World Cup.

"England will be a big hurdle, but it will be a classic," said Zwanziger, who admitted Germany had been stunned by the Serbia loss.

"This team has long had a hard time. I had the feeling that we were missing some self-confidence," he said.

"Ghana were not a top team, but we have achieved our minimum goal, so now I think we will see an improved performance."

In 31 games between the two European powers, Germany have 10 wins, England have 15 with six draws.

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