There may have been only two goals in the final phase of group matches in Group C, but finishing was the key feature of play for all four teams. For England and the US, single goals were enough to see them through to the second round while goalless performances by Slovenia and Algeria see them looking for early flights home from South Africa.
The ability to put the ball in the back of the net is a sometimes underrated football skill, given that the result ultimately depends on the number of times each team manages to do it. Certainly Fabio Capello seems not to rank it highly in his list of requirements from his players. There seems to be little other reasoning for his selection of Emile Heskey over Jermaine Defoe in England's first two matches of the tournament. Heskey may be powerful, skilful and hard-working but a goalscorer he isn't. Defoe proved against Algeria - as he has all season for Tottenham - that he on the other hand is.
England's winner wasn't pretty. Milner floated in a good cross but it wasn't preceded by a lovely passing move or a run into a dangerous area. It was simply a good cross that found its way to a striker who knows what to do with good crosses - get anything on them that forces them into the back of the net. Somehow, Defoe's shin provided enough power to beat the Slovenian goalkeeper to end almost 200 minutes of goalless football from the one-time champions. It was a single moment of opportunism rather than brilliance, but it was enough to spare blushes for a team that on their initial two performances scarcely deserved it.
In truth, it's harsh to be critical of England based on their showing against Slovenia. They controlled the match, they made chances and they looked a lot more like a team that could generate victories without relying on good fortune or opposition errors. It seems all too painfully obvious that the presence of Defoe on the pitch seems to be the catalyst for the improvement. The presence of that natural goalscoring instinct on the pitch creates nerves in a defence, and the likes of Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard thrive on nervous defenders. At least they should do. While improved on previous performances, none looked like the world-beaters they are at club level and it was left to Milner, Defoe and Barry to do the majority of creating for the Three Lions.
The other team on the pitch in Port Elizabeth could scarcely feel aggrieved that just one moment of finishing brilliance combined with the Landon Donovan goal against Algeria sent them from potentially group winners to first round casualties. The truth is Slovenia were dour against Algeria and reliant on one of the luckiest goals of the tournament to earn their win. They managed to turn it on for the first 45 minutes of the USA match but from then on it was all downhill. They owe the referee for their point in that game and offered precious little in attack against England. Slovenia may exit the World Cup thinking they were unlucky to be eliminated at the last moment, but they also exit as one of the most boring attacking forces on show.
Unlike the match in Port Elizabeth, Algeria and the US managed to put on a show. Credit really must go to the US, because in each of the three phases of the group stage, it has been their match that has generated excitement and interest, while the other three sides in the group have gone through the motions against each other. Donovan's late, late winner was a justified reward for a team that has shown a never-say-die attitude, a desire to play good football and a handful of players with technique and flair befitting the World Cup final 16.
The battle in Pretoria really could have gone either way, with the teams having a whopping 41 shots between them. The fact that Algeria could only manage 4 on target of their 19 contributing efforts to that tally shows though why they might go home as the only team not to score a goal in the finals (Honduras need to break through against Switzerland to avoid a similar fate). The North Africans might not deserve it based on their performances, but if you're not putting the ball in the goal, you've got no place at the World Cup.
For the US it was an opportunistic and well taken chance for Landon Donovan that sent their impressively loyal fans into raptures. Again, the value of finishing was shown in the result that sees both group favourites progress, but in far from easy fashion. All four nations can be glad for what they've achieved in the group stages, but for those teams who've shown they know how to score as well as play football they can now aim to provide more joy for their fans in the second round.
THIRD MATCH PHASE
STARS
Jermaine Defoe - Gave a stale England a much needed spark in front of goal and secured their presence in the second round
United States team - played out their third entertaining match of the tournament and deserved to top the group
VILLAINS
Referee Frank De Bleeckers - perhaps harsh to single him out after a decent performance, but the late red card to Antar Yahia seemed thoroughly unjustified
Algeria's offence - the fact that the US hasn't kept a clean sheet in a World Cup finals match since 1950 must make the Algerians feel at least a little sheepish about their impotence
PREDICTIONS FOR SECOND ROUND
England might be just starting to warm up, but they're not ready for a heavyweight title fight yet and Germany should be able to deliver the KO punch. The States have every chance of beating Ghana in what promises to be one of the more entertaining knockout encounters.
