England claimed a spot in the second round of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago, but it had to endure 83 minutes of frustration before two late goals provided relief.
The victory, which put England at the top of Group B, set up a possible second-round match against host Germany in the knockout phase of the tournament. But England could also face Ecuador, depending on the final standings in Groups A and B after the final first-round matches next week.
For much of the game, England, like Trinidad and Tobago's first opponent, Sweden, met an impenetrable wall of resistance from the Caribbean team known as the Soca Warriors.
Trinidad and Tobago is playing in its first World Cup and includes several players from the lower divisions of the English game.
The frustration of a huge English crowd on a sultry afternoon in southern Germany was vented with cries of ''Rooney, Rooney'' during much of the first half -- a call for help from Wayne Rooney, the gifted Manchester United striker who was pronounced fit before the match. He entered the game in the 58th minute.
Although Rooney, who broke a bone in his right foot in April, quickly gave England's attack a jolt, the team's agony endured until late in the match.
It took a David Beckham special -- a long, curling cross of pinpoint accuracy from the right wing -- to bring relief as all 6 feet 7 inches of Peter Crouch rose to meet the ball and power a header over Shaka Hislop, the Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper.
Replays appeared to show Crouch tugging at the hair of defender Brent Sancho before heading the ball into the goal.
''To be honest, I think he was all over my back,'' Sancho told The Associated Press. ''He was definitely pulling me back and definitely over my back. Then again, we're tiny Trinidad and Tobago. There's no way the referee is going to blow that whistle.''
The goal saved the gangling, ungainly Crouch from being the villain. Crouch, a striker for Liverpool, had squandered a series of chances, notably in the 42nd minute when, alone in front of goal, he tried a first-time volley from six yards out instead of getting the ball under control. But he is no Pel?The ball ended up somewhere near the corner flag, with Crouch beating the turf in frustration and Beckham, who had set him up with an inviting pass, gazing at Crouch in dismay.
All the misery was forgotten by the end of the game, however, as England averted what would have been an upset.
With one minute remaining, Beckham rolled the ball to Steven Gerrard on the right edge of the penalty area. Gerrard, a powerhouse of a midfielder for Liverpool, but not always as effective playing for England, swiveled past a couple of defenders and unleashed an unstoppable, swerving left-footed drive into the far left corner of the goal.
It was a rare moment of English brilliance in a game that often showed them at their most predictable, hoisting long balls to Crouch in the hope that he might nod them down to Frank Lampard, an attacking midfielder who squandered several chances, or Michael Owen, a striker who did the same.
The return of Rooney put an end to the saga of his fourth metatarsal -- one that made the little bone in his foot a national talking point in England for the past several weeks. Sven-Goran Eriksson, England's coach, described Rooney's return as important for the team, although he said Rooney was obviously not yet 100 percent.
''He's in it and he can only be better and better and better,'' Eriksson said. To judge by their first two games, England will need nothing less than that.
Trinidad and Tobago, coached by Leo Beenhakker, a Dutchman who managed the Netherlands in the 1990 World Cup, gave England several scares.
In the last minute of the first half, central defender John Terry had to hook the ball off the line after it was nodded toward the goal by Stern John.
Terry had a fine game, and that was his finest moment.
Still, Trinidad and Tobago's attacks were rare. As it did against Sweden in its opening 0-0 tie, the Caribbean team spent much of the match with 9 or 10 men in front of the ball, repulsing wave after wave of English attacks.
It is not impossible that Trinidad and Tobago will survive in the first round, but it will have to show a more aggressive streak against Paraguay in its last group match next week. Up to now, Trinidad and Tobago's effectiveness has been more in smothering the game than creating chances.
Even that has been remarkable for a two-island nation of 1.1 million people whose impact on the world of soccer up to the last week had been nearly zero.
''We can do better than this and we know there's better to come,'' Beckham said.
If that prediction proves wrong, England may not stay alive much longer.