England qualified for next year’s World Cup in Brazil after winning their final qualifying Group H match against Poland 2-0 at Wembley, thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.
Roy Hodgson recalled Michael Carrick. Winger Andros Townsend recovered from a knock to start on the right flank, while Chris Smalling came in for the suspended full back Kyle Walker.
Poland sprung a surprise by choosing Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny instead of Artur Boruc, while Borussia Dortmund attacker Robert Lewandowski started up front.
The presence of more than 18,000 Poland supporters inside Wembley made for a booming atmosphere inside the stadium.
England had to wait until the eighth minute to launch their first real attack. Leighton Baines found space and swung in a low cross, but Artur Jedrzejczyk cut the ball out just before Danny Welbeck arrived.
The Polish crowd were then brought to the edge of their seats as Lewandowski cantered up the other end on the counter, but Joe Hart saved from the Borussia Dortmund forward.
England were soon back on the attack. Szczesny spilled Townsend’s long-range shot, but Welbeck was too late for the follow-up.
Waldemar Sobota rippled the side-netting as the game maintained its helter-skelter pace.
Poland then had a superb chance to go ahead as they raced at the England defence. It was three on three, but Lewandowski mishit his shot as he bore down on Hart and England breathed again.
Townsend then produced a wonderfully lofted 25-yard shot which sailed over Szczesny but the shot struck the bar. The ball dropped to Daniel Sturridge’s feet, but Szczesny was back up and he blocked the Liverpool forward’s shot.
Szczesny was performing superbly. The Arsenal stopper forced an off-balance Welbeck wide and then saved from Rooney. Kamil Glik then put a crucial block in on Gerrard as England pressed for an opener just before half-time.
Just as the hosts looked destined to reach the break without breaking the deadlock, Rooney came to the rescue.
With four minutes of the half remaining, the Manchester United forward gained a yard in the box before glancing Baines’s pinpoint cross past Szczesny.
Sturridge should have made it two, but he missed a header from close range.
Poland brought Mateusz Klich on at the break and he almost equalised with his first touch.
With the half just 24 seconds old, Klich got on the end of a pass from Jakub Blaszczykowski, but Gary Cahill flung himself in the path off the goal-bound ball and diverted it wide.
Cahill would have had a goal to his name soon after had Szczesny dived well to his right to save from the Chelsea defender.
Grzegorz Krychowiak almost gifted England a second when he guided Rooney’s cross just inches wide of his own goal. But Gerrard had the final say with his 88th minute goal to seal England’s place for Brazil next year,
ENGLAND – Hart, Smalling, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Carrick, Gerrard, Townsend, Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge. Subs: Ruddy, Jones, Gibbs, Wilshere, Lampard, Milner, Barkley, Defoe, Sterling, Lambert, Forster.
POLAND – Szczesny, Wojtkowiak, Jedrzejczyk, Glik, Celeban, Blaszczykowski, Mierzejewski, Krychowiak, Sobota, Mariusz Lewandowski, Robert Lewandowski. Subs: Boruc, Wasilewski, Jodlowiec, Polanski, Zielinski, Klich, Wawrzyniak, Peszko, Sobiech, Rzezniczak, Fabianski.
Referee – Damir Skomina, Slovenia.