Departing Chelsea winger Joe Cole was happy to be part of England's victory over Slovenia.

Despite getting just 18 minutes as a replacement for Wayne Rooney, Cole was happy to make any kind of contribution.

"It is a squad game," he said. "If the manager wants me for one minute I will be there. If he wants me for 90 minutes I will be there. That is just my nature.

"I appreciate what people are saying back home but the guys that played were exceptional.

"We seemed to have a bit more balance," Cole added. "We wanted to win and show some passion and aggression.

"If we all stick together we can go as far as we want in this tournament. I just believe it is our turn."

Cole won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Chelsea and played in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, when they lost on penalties to Manchester United.

Yet with the pressure on England so high against Slovenia, he admitted it was a nerve-racking affair.

"I have never been involved in such a tense game," he said. "I have played in Champions League finals and FA Cup finals but it was nothing like that. There was a lot of nervous energy involved."