England matchwinner Jermain Defoe was delighted with victory over Slovenia.
Tottenham striker Defoe himself admitted he was "lost for words" after scoring the vital goal.
Defoe said: "I'm lost for words, what a moment for me. As a young lad, you dream about doing it one day. I had another chance early on in the second half. I was disappointed because I should have done better.
"But we won the game and I'm delighted. I was focused before the game and we won, which is the most important thing.
"At the end of the day, it was a must-win game, a cup final. You approach the game differently.
"The lads were fired up, we said in the changing rooms to set the tempo, put them under pressure and we started to pass it after the goal went in. It was brilliant."
England had been woeful during the goalless draw with Algeria but Defoe insisted: "The belief has always been there.
"At this level it's always going to be difficult. Look at the other games, the top teams have all struggled.
"It's important to keep the spirit, which we have done and that showed."