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England was not only the favourite to top Group C, but also one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Facing tournament minnows Algeria, England was expected to romp to victory by at least two goals. The game was not the most exciting for the neutral fan, but it had a great storyline. England was held 0-0 by Algeria in the first-ever meeting between the two countries. It was a splendid result for the Algerians while English fans were very disappointed. The result left England needing a win against Slovenia to ensure qualification. The pressure was on the English - not only for the result, but also for the way they played.
Algeria and England used different goalkeepers from their opening games, since Chaouchi and Robert Green made blunders in the opening round - the kind of blunders you pay for with points. The opening exchanges were even, with England having more ball possession. Most of the shots taken in the first half were off-target. Algeria was hanging in during the half, but England did not show the urgency or creativity that even the likes of Uruguay was able to display in the World Cup.
The teams entered halftime locked at 0-0.
England made no substitutions at the half, which was surprising given the way they played. Perhaps England coach Fabio Capello felt it was a matter of time before his side breached Algeria's defence. It was only in the 62nd minute that England made a change, with Shaun Wright-Phillips coming on for Aaron Lennon. The match continued in a scrappy fashion. England did not manage to control the pace of the game and had the number of shots at goal restricted to long-range, ambitious efforts. It did not help England's cause that Wayne Rooney was rarely in possession of the ball in the attacking third.
Capello introduced Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe in the 73rd minute and sent in Peter Crouch in place of Gareth Barry in the 83rd minute. Despite his efforts to get a win that would give them wiggle room in the group, England lacked creativity towards the end. The frustration was evident on the faces of the English players as the Three Lions really failed to roar. England only had 15 shots on goal for the entire match; Algeria had thirteen. The draw left Group C wide open, since any of the four teams had a chance of qualifying when the final round got underway.
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