NUREMBERG - England joined hosts Germany and Ecuador as the first teams to qualify for the second round of the World Cup after a laboured 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday.
Earlier, Ecuador enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Costa Rica in Hamburg, a result which guaranteed both them and Germany a place in the last 16 with six points each in Group A.
Trinidad, who had marked their World Cup debut with a surprise 0-0 draw with Sweden, held firm against England's attack until gangly striker Peter Crouch headed his team into the lead with seven minutes left.
Steven Gerrard hit a screaming left-foot shot from just outside the penalty area in stoppage time to make the final scoreline look more comfortable than the reality.
England captain David Beckham, who laid on the cross for Crouch's goal, said: "We never give up hope. That is the message we send.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy today, people expected it to be easy but we knew if we kept at our game plan we would break them down. The good thing about the game is we finished strongly."
England had looked sluggish until manager Sven-Goran Eriksson sent on his dashing young striker Wayne Rooney as a 58th-minute substitute.
It was Rooney's first return to action since being sidelined in April by a foot injury which had threatened his chances of taking part in the finals.
Though the 20-year-old did not feature in either goal, his presence and vision galvanised an England team which began to make chances and wear down the Caribbean side's defence.
England will play Ecuador or Germany in the second round.
Historic Triumph
The first game of the day was a historic win for Ecuador, who made it to the finals for the first time four years ago without progressing beyond the group stage.
"I'm so happy, this is a happiness that I cannot contain or even explain," said striker Carlos Tenorio.
Ecuador's performance has been the perfect riposte to critics who claimed they are in Germany only because they have the advantage of altitude in their home qualifying games, played 2,800 metres above sea level in the capital Quito.
Goals in either half from Tenorio and Agustin Delgado and a late strike from Ivan Kaviedes gave them victory against Costa Rica who, like Poland, have lost their first two games and cannot now progress into the last 16.
Ecuador, ahead of Germany on goal difference, would win the group with a win or draw in their last group game against the hosts next Tuesday in Berlin.
Sweden play Paraguay in the final match of the day in Group B in Berlin.
Ronaldo Tests
Separately, it emerged on Thursday that Brazil striker Ronaldo, jeered off the field after a lacklustre performance on Tuesday against Croatia, has undergone medical examinations after complaining of dizziness.
The 29-year-old said the scare was nothing to worry about.
"I went to hospital and did a series of tests. They didn't find anything abnormal," he told reporters.
"Today I feel fine. I feel fairly relaxed. It's nothing serious."
Ronaldo's dismal display on Tuesday, when he appeared to move at half-speed and struggled to control the simplest of passes, recalled his similarly dazed performance in Brazil's 3-0 defeat by France in the 1998 World Cup final in Paris.
After that match it was revealed Ronaldo had been taken ill in the hotel hours before the final, several reports claiming that he suffered a fit. The episode was never fully explained.
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