FABIO Capello claims Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Slovenia marked a watershed in England's World Cup campaign.

Having drawn both of their opening matches against the United States and Algeria, England's players went into their final group game in Port Elizabeth with their manager admitting they were struggling to cope with the pressure of performing in a World Cup finals.

However, a much improved display secured their first success in South Africa, and enabled them to look ahead to Sunday's crunch second-round clash with Germany with justified confidence.

Capello admits his side needed to convince themselves that they were capable of mixing it with the best sides competing in the finals.

And while Germany will provide a much stiffer test than the Slovenians, the England boss feels an important corner has been turned.

“I know these players, and they needed that victory,” said Capello, who will continue to monitor Wayne Rooney's fitness after the striker limped out of Wednesday's win with a sore ankle.

“They needed it. Now, I know that they can play against all of the teams. I am sure that the performance of the team will always be at this level from this point on. I am also sure that they will always play with the same spirit now and that is important.”

While the result was always going to be the most important aspect of Wednesday's game, the pace and tempo of England's performance was equally significant.

Having laboured badly during their draws with the US and Algeria, England's key performers suddenly turned in a display more in keeping with their club form in the Premier League.

The presence of James Milner helped, and while Capello was reluctant to single out any player for special praise, he admitted the Aston Villa midfielder's link-up play with right-back Glen Johnson was a key feature of England's success.

“I decided to play Milner because we needed his movement without the ball,” said Capello. “He created space for Johnson. He played really well and I am really happy with both of them.

“But I do not like to speak about one or two players. It was all about the team – they worked very well and their position on the pitch was very good.

“Whenever we won back the ball, we played it quickly and the quality of the passing was really good. The movement was dangerous and we switched the ball quickly.

“We held on to the ball much better as well. In the other games we played, after two passes, we lost the ball. This time, that did not happen. The players kept the ball much better.”

Jermain Defoe also exerted a considerable influence after being promoted to the starting line-up. While Emile Heskey gave his all in the opening two matches, he never really looked like finding the back of the net.

Defoe converted the first chance that came his way against Slovenia, but Capello insists he will continue to tailor his attacking line-up to suit the defenders that will be starting for the opposition.

“My selection depends on which defender we are playing against,” he said. “I chose Defoe for the Slovenia game because he has been training very well and is looking good now. He is a player who can be very important in front of the goal.”