Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard scored to send England to the World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Poland on Tuesday that gave them top spot in qualifying Group H on a thrilling and nervy night at Wembley.
Rooney's 41st-minute breakthrough was brilliantly created and executed after a patient England build-up gathered pace when Leighton Baines crossed for the Manchester United striker, who nodded the ball down and wide of keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
The match was played on a knife-edge as anything other than a win would have consigned England to a potentially difficult two-legged playoff tie, with group rivals Ukraine cruising to an easy win over San Marino.
But midfielder Gerrard sparked English celebrations in the 88th minute when he burst into the area, cut inside and poked the ball past Szczesny.
England, unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, finish top of the section with 22 points, with Ukraine, who go into the playoffs, second on 21.
"They had a couple of breaks but we played some great stuff, especially in the first half, and getting that goal gave us the belief and confidence we could go and win it," Rooney told ITV.
"It was the same as the Montenegro game (on Friday) - a big part of our preparation was to be patient, and we fully deserved to win.
"We've always remained positive and had a belief about ourselves and we've gone out and shown tonight we are a good team. We have some fantastic young players in the team and some experience with Steve, Frank (Lampard) and myself, so it's a good blend."
Gerrard was equally pleased but also sounded a note of caution. "We started really well but the big lesson from tonight, in the second half, is that we have to play better against better teams," he said.
"But we showed that when it gets tough we don't concede goals. We know there's a great togetherness in the squad, we fight for each other and, under tremendous pressure, we've shown we can perform."
Rooney's 41st-minute breakthrough was brilliantly created and executed after a patient England build-up gathered pace when Leighton Baines crossed for the Manchester United striker, who nodded the ball down and wide of keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
The match was played on a knife-edge as anything other than a win would have consigned England to a potentially difficult two-legged playoff tie, with group rivals Ukraine cruising to an easy win over San Marino.
But midfielder Gerrard sparked English celebrations in the 88th minute when he burst into the area, cut inside and poked the ball past Szczesny.
England, unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, finish top of the section with 22 points, with Ukraine, who go into the playoffs, second on 21.
"They had a couple of breaks but we played some great stuff, especially in the first half, and getting that goal gave us the belief and confidence we could go and win it," Rooney told ITV.
"It was the same as the Montenegro game (on Friday) - a big part of our preparation was to be patient, and we fully deserved to win.
"We've always remained positive and had a belief about ourselves and we've gone out and shown tonight we are a good team. We have some fantastic young players in the team and some experience with Steve, Frank (Lampard) and myself, so it's a good blend."
Gerrard was equally pleased but also sounded a note of caution. "We started really well but the big lesson from tonight, in the second half, is that we have to play better against better teams," he said.
"But we showed that when it gets tough we don't concede goals. We know there's a great togetherness in the squad, we fight for each other and, under tremendous pressure, we've shown we can perform."
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