ENGLAND fans were celebrating last night after Fabio Capello’s team secured their place in the World Cup second round.

Thousands of people packed into pubs and bars across the county to see Jermain Defoe’s 22nd minute strike secure a 1-0 win against Slovenia.

And fans endured a nail-biting final 10 minutes as Slovenia surged forward in search of an equaliser.

A late win for the USA means England finished second in the group –setting up a clash with old rivals Germany.

Many offices came to a standstill at 3pm as staff watched the game on specially installed screens.

More than 200 people watched the game on three different screens at the Port Mahon pub in St Clement’s Street, Oxford.

Gareth Polley, 28, from Headington, had taken a day off from his job as a plumber to watch the game.

He said: “It was a great performance.

“We will need to improve if we are going to go any further in the competition, but it was a million miles away from our recent games.

“I couldn’t even think about going to work today. I booked the day off when the fixtures were ann-ounced.”

Student Briony Poulson, 19, who came from Bicester to watch the game with friends, said: “We never make it easy on ourselves.

“It was a good performance but we could have had four goals. It shouldn’t have been so nerve-wracking.

“I came along here because I knew there were plenty of screens and it is always more fun watching the game with mates. We’ll definitely be celebrating.”

One fan – who asked not to be named – said he called in sick at work that morning.

He said: “I put on my best ‘ill’ voice and phoned up my boss. I know it’s cheeky, but the World Cup is different.

“I’m not proud of throwing a sickie, I know I did the right thing.”

Pub landlord Nick Bassett said: “The World Cup is a celebration and it is great for us to see so many people down here.

“It is a pleasure to screen the matches and it creates a really good feeling.

“From a business perspective, it helps raise our profile and hopefully a lot of these fans will come back all year round.”

Businesses in Oxford could rake in an extra £10m during the tournament as fans stock up on beer, food and new TVs.