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Group C of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of national association football teams from England, the United States, Algeria and Slovenia. The United States and England progressed to the round of 16 undefeated. The United States won the group, winning one match and drawing two. England had an identical record and goal difference but the United States finished top having scored more goals than England. Slovenia finished the group third having won a game, with Algeria finishing fourth with a single point.
The teams were decided by World Cup draw that took place on 4 December 2009. The group was set to receive one team from each pot, which sorted all World Cup teams by position on the FIFA World Rankings as of October 2009.
The first team drawn was England, which secured qualification as a pot one team by winning Group 6 of UEFA qualification. The United States finished top of the CONCACAF fourth round group. The pot 3 team was Algeria who qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1986 thanks to a one-off play-off win against Egypt. The play-off tie was played in Khartoum after the two sides finished level with each other in Group C. Post-match, a diplomatic spat occurred between the two nations with Egypt later threatening to quit international football for two years due to the alleged behaviour of Algerian fans. There were also violent demonstrations in Cairo near the Algerian embassy. The final team was Slovenia who finished second in Group 3 of UEFA qualification, two points behind Slovakia. In the subsequent play-offs, Slovenia defeated Russia in a two-legged tie to qualify for the finals.
England were considered favourites to win Group C. In a pre-tournament preview, The Guardian's Kevin McCarra analysed England's chances ahead of the tournament: "If Wayne Rooney stayed fit, if Steven Gerrard got his form back and if the centre-backs were in rude health, England would present a severe problem to most. Capello needs to refresh a dynamism that has waned. Semi-finalists." The Guardian previewed the US' chances: "The USA have been quietly optimistic about their chances of making a splash in South Africa ever since reaching the Confederations Cup final last year, where they lost to Brazil. They are confident of making it out of what is perceived to be a weak group and believe they can challenge England for first place."
Matches took place between 12 June and 23 June 2010. All times listed are local, UTC+2.
England vs United States
The opening match of group C was contested between England and the United States. The two sides had previously played each other nine times with England winning on seven occasions and the United States on two. The teams had previously played each other once in the FIFA World Cup in 1950. The USA won 1–0 in one of the biggest World Cup shock results of all time.
England took an early lead, Emile Heskey played a through ball to Steven Gerrard who slid the ball under Tim Howard in the 4th minute. However, the Three Lions failed to build on their lead, with the U.S. having plenty of possession in the first half. The United States equalised in the 40th minute when a seemingly harmless pot shot by Clint Dempsey was mishandled by England goalkeeper Robert Green and rolled into the net. Early in the second half, Heskey was played through on goal but could only shoot straight at Tim Howard. After several missed half-chances from England, Jozy Altidore forced a save onto the post from Green, highlighting England's lack of pace in central defence. Post-match, the U.S.' manager Bob Bradley was full of praise for his team's performance.
The following day, Algeria met Slovenia in Polokwane. There were few chances created throughout the first half. However, in the 72nd minute, Algeria's substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal was dismissed for the accumulation of two yellow cards, the second being a handball. Seven minutes later, Slovenia's talisman Robert Koren scored the winning goal from 20 yards.
In the second round of matches, Slovenia met the U.S. in Johannesburg. Slovenia went into half time with a 2–0 lead. Valter Birsa opened the scoring for Slovenia in an impressive fashion, collecting the ball from 25 yards out before curling the ball into the left-hand corner. After a dominant start from the Slovenians, the United States began to create some chances to equalise. However, on the counter-attack, Milivoje Novaković played a through ball to Zlatan Ljubijankić who managed to slot the ball under Tim Howard for their second goal. In response, the U.S.' manager made a double substitution at half time. In the opening stages of the second half, the United States halved the deficit via Landon Donovan after Boštjan Cesar had missed the flight of a long ball; Donovan then managed to collect the ball and hit his shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle. With eight minutes remaining, a long ball for the U.S. was knocked down by Joze Altidore to the oncoming Michael Bradley who finished past Samir Handanović on the half-volley to equalise the match at 2–2. The United States had looked as if they had won the match after a Donovan free-kick was turned in by Maurice Edu. However, the referee controversially disallowed the goal. Post-match, Bob Bradley said that he had no doubt that the referee had got the decision wrong.
Prior to the match, England manager Fabio Capello took the decision to drop goalkeeper Rob Green following his high-profile error against the United States, replacing him with David James. Algeria also opted to change their goalkeeper with Raïs M'Bolhi replacing Faouzi Chaouchi.
The match finished goalless after few chances were created by either side and with Algeria often seeming more comfortable in possession. As England left the pitch, Wayne Rooney was heard on camera saying "Nice to see your own fans booing you." which he later apologised for. Writing for Sky Sports, James Dall described England's performance as unimaginative and nervy.
Jermain Defoe's 23rd-minute goal allowed England to claim the win and progress to the knockout stage of the competition. After the goal, England created several more chances but were unable to add to their lead.
Early in the game, the United States nearly allowed another early goal as an Algerian shot hit the crossbar. Throughout the remainder of the game, the United States had a number of good chances against a solid Algerian defence that allowed just one goal from two games; striker Jozy Altidore volleyed wide of an open net, while Clint Dempsey had a goal disallowed for a controversial offside call and later hit the crossbar on a shot and missed an empty net on the rebound. After 90 minutes of a scoreless affair, the United States were at risk of elimination: with England leading Slovenia 1–0, a 0–0 draw for the United States would have caused them to finish third in Group C on three points (behind England on five and Slovenia on four). However, in stoppage time, American goalkeeper Tim Howard quickly threw an outlet pass to Landon Donovan, who moved the ball up the pitch and passed the ball just outside the box to Altidore, who then crossed the ball to an open Dempsey in the middle of the box. With the Algerian goalkeeper closing in, Dempsey shot quickly and was blocked; however, Donovan followed the shot and put the rebound into the net for an easy goal. The United States held on for the final few minutes for a 1–0 victory. The late goal not only saved the United States from elimination but also allowed them to win their group for the first time since 1930, advancing to play Ghana in the round of 16.
England
United States
Algeria
Slovenia
4'
England
46'
61'
31'
73'
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Spain
Netherlands
Germany
