Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what is a vital match for England as they host Poland in the final World Cup qualifying match of the current campaign. As always seems to be the case, England have left it to the last minute to qualify, and only a win will do for Roy Hodgson's men tonight.

England came into this latest international double header with one very clear aim - to pick up six points. That job was half-done when they beat Montenegro 4-1 at Wembley on Friday, but that result, and the good performance that went along with it, will mean nothing if they can't back it up with a victory against Poland today.

The message for the Three Lions is simple - they must win. Fans have moaned about England's style of play for some time now, but a good performance will be a distant second in the list of priorities tonight. Strictly speaking, England could still win the group if they were to lose tonight as they only have to match or better Ukraine's result. The problem for England, however, is that Ukraine are up against the minnows of San Marino, who have lost all nine of their qualifiers so far, shipping 46 goals in the process.

It is safe to say, then, that Ukraine will finish their campaign on 21 points. England currently sit on 19 points after their nine games having won five and drawn four. That unbeaten record is a proud one for the Three Lions, but they have drawn too many matches for their liking, with Friday's victory over Montenegro providing them with their first win over any of the top four teams in the group.

Another proud record of England's in the current qualifying campaign is their goalscoring one. They have found the net 29 times in their nine matches, meaning that they are the third-highest scorers in the European qualifying section. Only Holland and Germany have scored more than England, and with a three-pronged attack of Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, hopes will be high of adding to that tally tonight.

They also have the joint-best defence having conceded just four times, including just one in their last three qualifying matches. Unsurprisingly, Ukraine are the team who are level with England in the goals against column, and it is unlikely that they will be getting troubled too much tonight. Needless to say, England also have the best goal difference in the group, although that is one statistic that is most like going to be redundant tonight - unless Ukraine draw and England lose.

England's good form stretches back a while going into this match, which should give them plenty of confidence. They are unbeaten in their last nine matches including friendlies, with their last loss coming at the hands of Sweden when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored that bicycle kick. In competitive fixtures, England have not lost a match inside 90 minutes since being knocked out of the 2010 World Cup by Germany.

More good news for the home fans is that they have not lost a competitive match at Wembley for six years. However, they will be hoping that tonight is no repeat of that night in 2007, when Croatia famously came here and ended both Steve McClaren's reign as manager and England's hopes of reaching Euro 2008 with a 3-2 win.

Put simply, failure to qualify for the World Cup is an almost unthinkable scenario for England. Friday's win did give them a safety net of sorts as, even if they don't beat Poland tonight, they will still enter the playoffs for a place in Brazil, but that is a scenario that no-one involved with England wants to be in. The Three Lions have qualified for the last four World Cups, and Roy Hodgson is not contemplating anything other than making it five in a row.

As for Poland, this match, on the face of it, is a dead rubber. Their 1-0 loss to Ukraine on Friday ended any chances of them qualifying for the World Cup, and even jumping from their current fourth place up to third is highly unlikely as it would require them to win tonight and Montenegro to lose or draw against Moldova.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that they won't be up for tonight's match, however. Poland, by their own admission, have had a disappointing campaign considering some of the players at their disposal and they will certainly want to end it on a high. A win over England at Wembley would be a highlight in the career of any player, and that should prove motivation enough for the visitors tonight.

If they need any further motivation, then they can simply look up into the stands. The FA has taken the controversial step of allocated 18,000 tickets to Polish fans, which is more than twice the number required by FIFA's rules. There has been a lot of talk about the FA's decision leading up to the match and, if nothing else, it is likely to give the Poland side a boost. However, there will still be around 70,000 England fans in the stadium and, if the players can't perform because of 18,000 away fans then perhaps there isn't much point in going to Brazil anyway!

One thing is for certain - the additional away fans should make for an electric atmosphere inside the stadium. Poland supporters have been milling about the city all day enjoying themselves and getting themselves pumped up for tonight's match. Here is a look at some of them in Trafalgar Square this afternoon:

However, it is on the field, rather than in the stands, that this match will be won and lost. Poland are seen as a decent side with a couple of seriously good players, but their recent record away from home is nothing to be feared. They have only managed one win on their travels in the current qualifying campaign - against San Marino - and that record stretches back to just three away wins in their last 20 matches including friendlies.

TEAM NEWS: Time for some team news for you all, I think. We'll start with England and Roy Hodgson, who has made two changes to the side that beat Montenegro. One of those was enforced as he had to replace the suspended Kyle Walker, and he has opted for Chris Smalling ahead of Phil Jones. Michael Carrick also comes in to the side, replacing Frank Lampard. For Poland, there is an interesting change between the sticks as in-form keeper Artur Boruc is replaced by Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny. Full team news coming up.

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Smalling, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines; Carrick, Gerrard; Townsend, Rooney, Welbeck; Sturridge

ENGLAND SUBS: Jones, Ruddy, Gibbs, Wilshere, Lampard, Milner, Barkley, Defoe, Sterling, Lambert, Forster

POLAND STARTING XI: Szczesny; Celeban, Jedrzejczyk, Glik, Wojtkowiak; Krychowiak, M.Lewandowski; Blaszczykowski, Mierzejewski, Sobota; R.Lewandowski

POLAND SUBS: Boruc, Fabianski, Wasilewski, Polanski, Jodlowiec, Zielinski, Peszko, Rzezniczak, Sobiech, Wawrzyniak, Klich

What can we make of those two teams? Well, Hodgson's selection is slightly more defensive than the one he went for against Montenegro, but not enough to claim that he has named a reserved lineup. Carrick will not get forward as much as Lampard, but he will retain possession and give the ball short to Gerrard, who can sweep passes up to the front three as well as giving the skipper license to get forward a little more himself. Smalling, meanwhile, will be more reserved when going forward than Walker, and perhaps even Jones, would have been, but again he can do a job for England on that flank.

It is no surprise to see that Hodgson has stuck with the three-pronged attack of Rooney, Welbeck and Sturridge. The trio played well against Montenegro and were eventually rewarded for their hard work after a frustrating first half. Sturridge is in particularly good goalscoring form so far this season, while Rooney's recent record for England is impeccable. He has scored six goals in his last five World Cup qualifiers and is now just 12 behind the all-time England scoring record held by Sir Bobby Charlton.

It is also no surprise to see Andros Townsend retain his place. The only thing that would have kept him out of the side today would have been if the knock he picked up against Montenegro was more serious than first thought. He is fit to play as expected, though, and will be looking to replicate his man of the match display from his debut on Friday.

Poland have plenty of dangermen of their own, but they are a little similar to Montenegro in the fact that some areas are much weaker than others. Without doubt, their main threat today will be Robert Lewandowski, who has been making waves at Borussia Dortmund. He really shot to international acclaim in the Champions League last season, helping Dortmund to the final with some superlative displays, and Poland will be hoping that he is at his best tonight. If he is, Jagielka and Cahill will really struggle to cope.

It is fair to say that Lewandowski does not have the same quality of support for Poland as he does for Dortmund, but he does have one familiar face from his club in the midfield. Jakub Blaszczykowski is one man that England will have to keep a very close eye on especially considering that fact that Townsend and Welbeck are not the most competent of defenders and so won't be able to help out Baines and Smalling too much.

It is interesting, also, that Szczesny has been chosen to play in goal. Artur Boruc has been the number one choice for Poland recently, and his domestic form has certainly not warranted him being dropped from the team. His Southampton side currently have the best defence in the Premier League having conceded just two goals all season. The only reason I can think of for the switch is that Szczesny will know the English strikers that little bit better than Boruc does.

The goalkeeper's jersey is an important one in the storied history of this fixture. The most famous meeting between the two sides came 40 years ago when Jan Tomaszewski, who was dubbed as a "clown" by Brian Clough before the match, had the game of his life as England were only able to draw 1-1 with Poland. It was a heroic performance by the shot-stopper, and the draw denied England a place in the 1974 World Cup and spelled the end for the legendary Sir Alf Ramsey.

That defeat still hurts a lot of England fans and players from the day, and with so many similarities between that match and today's England could be forgiven for wanted to exact a little revenge 40 years on. They will be hoping that Szczesny doesn't have half as good a game as Tomaszewski had that night.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for my prediction. With 18,000 away fans in the stadium, Poland will certainly not roll over in this match and England will have to work for a victory. With so much on the line, however, I don't see much other than a win for the hosts and, with it, progression to the 2014 World Cup. I'm going to go for a 3-1 win to England.

I mentioned the history of this match earlier, and it is usually a fixture that has something riding on it. The two teams have met 18 times in all competitions before, and from Tomaszewski's heroics to Lineker's hat-trick, most of them seem to have provided a major storyline. England have won 10 of those 18 meetings, while Poland have only ever beaten the Three Lions on one occasion.

There have been 15 matches between the two sides since that defeat, so England will be hoping that number 16 isn't lucky for Poland. Their overall home record against Poland is good, having never lost to them at Wembley in eight meetings. England have won six of those and drawn two, but only a win will do tonight, remember.

England have never failed to score against Poland at Wembley either, and with so much depending on this match it is hard to see them not scoring tonight either. If they remain goalless in the latter stages, Hodgson has no option but to throw everything at Poland.

It may not feel like it if you are an England fan, but there are other matches going on tonight. You can see which ones we are offering live coverage of here, while I will also be keeping you up to date with goals as they go in from games that might be of interest to England fans. I will keep a particularly close eye on events in San Marino as England fans could be left hoping for one of the biggest shocks in recent international football history.

There was a smattering of jeers during the England national anthem from the sizeable away support. They may have been allowed extra tickets, but they aren't going to be acting as the quiet, polite guests tonight!

KICKOFF: Here we go then! What a huge match for England, and it is the hosts who get us underway amidst a cloud of smoke from flares let off by the Poland fans. England simply must win.

England made a very bright start to their match against Montenegro on Friday, but it has been a slower opening few minutes this time around. Townsend, who was so involved at the start of the previous game, is yet to feature today but it is still very early.

Early goals are not exactly England's speciality at home, however. They have only scored one inside the opening 20 minutes in their last 16 matches at Wembley - a run that stretches back three years.

Gerrard looks to get things going for England by pouncing on a loose ball in midfield before driving forward and whipping a pass into Rooney on the edge of the box. The United man isn't allowed to turn, however, and his attempted pass to Townsend is picked off.

I must say that the atmosphere inside the stadium is electric, but not necessarily in the way that England would have liked. The Polish fans, of whom there are plenty more than the official figure of 18,000, are making all the noise and every time England are in possession they are whistling. Wembley is something of a hostile environment for the hosts at the moment.

England have the first glimpse of goal but Baines' dangerous low delivery is poked behind with Welbeck lurking. That would have been a relatively simple finish for Welbeck, so that was a vital interception.

Szczesny easily collects the resulting corner and immediately looks to release Lewandowski. The Dortmund man embarks on a good run before shooting from the edge of the box, but his effort is a little tame and easy for Hart to gather.

SAVE! Townsend has certainly not lost any of his confidence since Friday. He finds a little bit of space on the edge of the box having drifted in from the right, but his low effort was parried by the keeper and Welbeck couldn't bundle the rebound in. There was a slight penalty claim on Welbeck there, but the ref was right to turn it down.

Lewandowski is looking sharp here, which is bad news for England. He jinks his way into the box and finds a little space to shoot. You could see what he was going for, but the slight gap he was aiming for at the far post was quickly shut down and his shot was blocked.

CLOSE! That is too close for comfort for England. Sobota is left wide open on Poland's left and is duly given the ball at the end of a quick break. He looks to be shaping for a shot towards the far post but instead flashes it to the near post and the ball ripples the side netting on its way wide.

This has been a very open game so far but it is Poland who look a little more dangerous in attack at the moment. While a draw will do nothing for England, it may be in their interest to slow the tempo of this one down a little, at least for a few minutes.

With smoke from flares lingering in the air, the hostile environment and some of Europe's biggest and best players on show, this feels a bit like a Champions League game at the moment. I'm sure the England players won't be used to such an atmosphere at Wembley, but you can be sure that the crowds will be even more passionate in the World Cup next year so they can't be too put off by this one.

UPDATE: As expected, it is looking like only a win will do for England. Ukraine are already 3-0 up against San Marino in the other important match in this group. Ireland, meanwhile, have recovered from a goal down and now lead Kazakhstan 2-1.

CLOSE! Superb delivery from Gerrard and he whips a free kick towards the far post, the type of cross that keepers despise facing. Smalling is the closest England player to getting a touch, and any contact will have surely resulted in a goal, but it just skimmed past the United defender and continued on past the post.

CHANCE! What a chance for Poland! They break quickly again and England are cut wide open by some nice football. Blaszczykowski steps over a pass in order to send Lewandowski through, but the normally-clinical Dortmund striker drags his shot wide with only Hart to beat. You really would have expected a player of his quality to score there, that is a huge let off for England.

Great play from Townsend down the right and he zips a low ball into Sturridge inside the box. The Liverpool man looks to have a little space to work with, but he is immediately set upon by four red shirts and can't get the ball out of his feet before eventually missing the ball. Poland make a hash of clearing it, however, and end up giving away a corner.

Cahill rises highest to meet the resulting corner, but his effort is never really troubling Szczesny.

OFF THE BAR! Oh England come within inches of breaking the deadlock. Again, Townsend is the catalyst for England's attack as he smashes a curling effort against the bar with the keeper beaten. Sturridge then has a chance moments later, but he can't beat the keeper from a tight angle. I hesitate to say it, but there was a hint of 1973 about that passage of play.

Lewandowski attacks a corner really well as his teammates drag the England defence towards the near post to set up space inside the middle. Carrick defends it expertly, however, and in the end wins a free kick.

Lewandowski attacks a corner really well as his teammates drag the England defence towards the near post to set up space inside the middle. Carrick defends it expertly, however, and in the end wins a free kick.

UPDATE: There has been a big goal north of the border as Scotland have taken the lead against Croatia. Gordon Stracthan's men can't qualify, of course, but doing the double over Croatia would give them heaps of confidence.

CHANCE! What a huge chance for England! The hosts win a corner after a fine interception from Krychowiak to deny Baines's cross reaching Sturridge. The resulting corner eventually drops right at the feet of Welbeck, but he rushes his shot and sends it wide from close range when he really should have scored.

England are beginning to exert their authority on this match right now. Poland still look dangerous on the break but the hosts are really threatening whenever they come forward and look most likely to score at the moment. It has been a fine match so far and I can't quite believe that it is still 0-0.

Sturridge works space to shoot on the edge of the box with some good footwork, but he doesn't really catch his shot and drags it wide. It wasn't far away, but Szczesny had it covered the whole way.

CHANCE! Another decent sight of goal for England falls to Welbeck, but again he can't make the most of it. It was a lovely flick into the path of the United man, but he never really had it in control before Szczesny came out bravely to claim it.

SAVE! Rooney is the latest to come close for the hosts as he curls a low effort towards the bottom corner. He disguised his shot, so Szczesny did well to get down and make the stop.

We have just seen Tomaszewski in the stands, and he is the last man England will want reminding of right now. That is even more true the way this match is going as the hosts really should have scored by now. Surely history won't repeat itself almost 40 years on?

Finally the match calms down a little as Poland slow the tempo down with some short passes in midfield. They were beginning to get overrun there, so that is a wise move for them. They may not have anything to lose in this match, but that doesn't mean that they won't do everything to avoid losing.

There is the breakthrough! Ironically it comes in perhaps the quietest spell of the match, but England won't care one bit. Baines sends a perfect delivery into Rooney, who applies an equally-impressive finishing touch, planting his header into the corner from around eight yards out. That is a really good goal for England, and one of huge importance as well.

England are not letting up, either. Hodgson has seemingly decided to go for a second in order to give themselves a bit of breathing space. That is a wise move considering the way this match is going at the moment.

CHANCE! Good opening for England from a corner as it falls to Sturridge at the back post. He never seems to be set on what he wants to do with it, and in the end stoops to header the ball into the ground and up over the bar.

Poland have the ball in the back of the net, but don't worry England fans - it won't count. The linesman's flag silences the significant cheers from the 'away' support, and it was a correct decision by the official.

So far, so good for England. As things stand, Roy Hodgson's men will be on the plane to Brazil next summer even with Ukraine beating San Marino 3-0 at the break. It is Wayne Rooney's goal shortly before the break that separates the side's at the halfway stage, and it could be among the most important goals that he has scored in his illustrious career. At the moment, he is the man who is sending the Three Lions to the World Cup.

For too long in that half, things look eerily reminiscent of the match between these two sides in 1973. England failed to stick the ball in the back of the net despite having numerous chances to do so, with Welbeck, Townsend and Gerrard all coming close before Rooney finally broke the deadlock. Of those three, Townsend came closest, rattling the bar with a fine effort that was aimed for the top corner and had Szczesny beaten.

Even ignoring the potential importance of Rooney's goal, it was a really nice strike for the hosts. Baines's cross was perfect and Rooney made no mistake with a superb header, a fitting way to bid farewell to that protective headband, which fell off earlier in the half. Including qualifying goals, Rooney has now scored more World Cup goals than any other player in England history, taking over that record from Gary Lineker.

Poland have had their chances as well, and actually started the match as the better side. They hurt England on the counter attack on three occasions in the opening 20 minutes or so, with Lewandowski providing a real threat. Having said that, the Dortmund man should have scored in the 23rd minute when another fluid break gave him a one-on-one with Joe Hart, but he dragged his shot wide.

There is no doubt that England deserve to be ahead at the break, however. After a shaky start, they really began to dominate midway through the half and, as I mentioned earlier, could have been three or four up by the time they actually opened the scoring. Still, Poland's threat should not be underestimated and this match is by no means over.

Wondering what Rooney's header looked like? Here is a picture of the moment it flew past Szczesny into the Poland net:

© Getty Images

England ended the first half looking for a second goal, and that positive attitude is the one that they should, in my opinion, come out with in the second period too. If they sit back on a 1-0 lead and invite the pressure then it is almost inevitable that they will concede a heart-breaking equaliser. If they can get a second, however, then they will have a little room for error and it would calm the players down. The way that they played at the end of that half, there is no reason why they can't get another.

KICKOFF: Poland get us back underway for arguably the biggest 45 minutes of Roy Hodgson's long career. Can England hold out or will Poland break their hearts again?

KICKOFF: Poland get us back underway for arguably the biggest 45 minutes of Roy Hodgson's long career. Can England hold out or will Poland break their hearts again?

POLAND SUB: There was a change at half time, and it was Lewandowski who made way. Not Robert, though, instead Mariusz goes off for Mateusz Klich.

POLAND SUB: There was a change at half time, and it was Lewandowski who made way. Not Robert, though, instead Mariusz goes off for Mateusz Klich.

POLAND SUB: There was a change at half time, and it was Lewandowski who made way. Not Robert, though, instead Mariusz goes off for Mateusz Klich.

CHANCE! Klich is immediately involved with a couple of decent chances. The first sees him left open inside the box, but his effort was well blocked by Cahill. From the resulting corner the ball dropped to the sub, but he blazed his half-volley over the bar.

It was a slow start to the half from England, but they are beginning to find their feet again now. They would have been livid with themselves if they conceded in the opening minutes of this half when they were seemingly still in dressing room mode.

CHANCE! Great ball from Rooney as he finds Welbeck in the middle. The United striker stretches his leg around the defender, but his hooked pass back into the middle is cleared behind for a corner.

SAVE! England come close again from the resulting corner. Cahill rises highest to meet the ball and gets a good connection on his header, but it is at a good height for Szczesny, who makes a diving save to his left.

UPDATE: This one won't surprise you - Ukraine have extended their lead against San Marino and now lead 4-0. It is all meaningless for them if England can hold out here, though.

CLOSE! Oh that is so close to being a second own goal in two games for England. Again Rooney is the orchestrator as he sends a low ball into the box. Szczesny has come to claim but Jedrzejczyk gets there first and pokes it just past his own post. It was good defending in the end as Sturridge was lurking behind him.

UPDATE: Who still has hopes of a San Marino comeback? Well, they are now 5-0 down and have been reduced to 10 men.

Rooney's pass towards Gerrard is almost cut out, but the skipper just pokes the ball beyond the tackle which opens up space for him to shoot. He duly obliges, but it isn't one of his trademark piledrivers as he drags it a couple of yards wide of the post.

CHANCE! Massive chance for Poland. Lewandowski times his run perfectly to get on the end of a fine through ball, and his first touch brings the ball immediately under control. Hart rushes out and, although he doesn't get to the ball before the Poland striker, he gets a vital touch to his poked shot which allows Cahill and Smalling to combine to clear the danger. That was another huge chance for the Dortmund man.

Immediately after that chance a fan ran on to the pitch and, in truth, it was probably a good thing for England that he did. Poland were keen to take the throw in quickly while England were still reeling, but the stoppage allowed the hosts to gather themselves.

Poland have looked a little more dangerous in the last five minutes or so, and England need to be careful about getting caught up in the situation. A second goal would make things a lot better, but they need to get the right balance as conceding could be catastrophic.

POLAND SUB: A straight swap on the left for Poland as Slawomir Peszko comes on for Sobota.

SAVE! Rooney has threatened the Poland goal on a number of occasions already tonight, and he does so again there. He curls an effort towards the corner from a fair distance, but Szczesny gets across to make a good save.

Just over 20 minutes left at Wembley, and what a nervous final 20 minutes they look like being at the moment! As things stand, just one goal separates England from automatic qualification for the World Cup and having to do through the rigmarole of the playoffs.

ENGLAND SUB: Interesting change from Hodgson as the calming influence of Carrick is replaced by the more attack-minded Frank Lampard. Lampard brings with him plenty of experience and will know as well as anyone how to finish these games off.

UPDATE: Ukraine are now 7-0 up against 10-man San Marino, while Ireland have extended their lead over Kazakhstan to 3-1. Belgium have also just taken the lead against Wales and Scotland still lead Croatia.

Townsend makes yet another bright run down the wing, beating Glich with ease before swinging in an early delivery. Sturridge makes his way to the far post, but the ball is put behind for a corner before it reaches the Liverpool man.

POLAND SUB: The third and final Poland change of the day sees Mierzejewski replaced by Piotr Zielinski.

YELLOW CARD! Lampard becomes the first player in the book not long after coming on. It was a cynical foul from the Chelsea midfielder that was deserving of the card, but the Polish player did go down fairly dramatically.

YELLOW CARD! A second card follows in quick succession, this time shown to Jedrzejcyk for holding Sturridge.

SAVE! Fine save from Szczesny! Sturridge does really well to find space for a shot inside the box and his effort is a powerful one that the keeper does well to beat away. It was perhaps too close to Szczesny from an England point of view, but the Poland keeper still had to make a smart stop.

YELLOW CARD! Wayne Rooney has had his scrapes in final qualifying matches before, namely two years ago against Montenegro, but this time he only gets a yellow card.

ENGLAND SUB: Daniel Sturridge slowly makes his way off the field to be replaced by Jack Wilshere, who has presumably been brought on to close down space in midfield and add a little bite to the side in the closing stages.

We're nearing the last five minutes now, and what a tense finale we have in store. England have one foot in Brazil for the World Cup next summer, but any Poland goal now would be heart-breaking for the hosts.

There are some fans - not many I must stress, but some - actually leaving right now! I don't quite understand how they can do that given how finely this situation is balanced.

ENGLAND SUB: England's third and final change sees Andros Townsend make way after another impressive performance. He is replaced by James Milner, who is more defensively minded than the Tottenham winger.

England have surely booked their ticket to the World Cup now! Steven Gerrard has been doing this for Liverpool for years and years, and now he has done the business when it matters for England too. He bursts into the box and shows great determination to lift the ball over the keeper while being pushed by a defender. It is a really good finish from the skipper, and England are on their way to the 2014 World Cup!

The silence of fingernails being bitten has been replaced by a party atmosphere inside Wembley as the home fans celebrate that Gerrard goal. The tension had been growing steadily throughout the half, but it has all been released now.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Rooney does well to hold the ball up in the corner before squeezing a pass through to Milner. The Man City man cuts inside and goes for goal, but his effort is deflected out for a corner that will surely run the clock down for the hosts.

Job well and truly done for England. They will given the sole aim of picking up six points from their last two games, and they have done exactly that, putting in some good performances along the way. They certainly made us sweat for it, but England will be in the draw for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They may not be among the top seeds, but right now all that matters to them is that they are there.

It was a brilliant match tonight, one in which both teams certainly played their part. On another day, England could have had five or six goals to their name, but Poland also could have had a couple. It wasn't a straight-forward victory for the hosts, but a win was all that was needed and, to a certain extent, all that was wanted.

England's star duo Rooney and Gerrard got the all-important goals, with Rooney opening the scoring with a textbook header shortly before half time. Tensions began to rise as England failed to add a second and Poland began to press for an equaliser, but up stepped 'Captain Fantastic' Steven Gerrard to lift the ball over the keeper and lift the spirits of the nation. Gerrard had barely ventured forward all game but he found himself in the vital position at the vital moment and took the chance very well.

As for Poland, they deserve plenty of credit for the way that they performed. In one sense, they did well to keep the score down to just two given how many chances England had, particularly in the first half, but they were also threatening in attack. Robert Lewandowski was especially dangerous, although he did miss his side's two best chances. How different could things be right now if he had taken them?

Not that it matters one iota to England fans right now, but Ukraine ended up beating San Marino 8-0 in their match tonight. San Marino were also reduced to nine men, so a pretty sorry day for them all round.

Right, that's all we have time for tonight! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for a match of tension, stress and ultimately delight for England fans as their place in the 2014 World Cup was confirmed with a 2-0 win over Poland. Stick around for the reaction from players and managers, while we will also have analysis up for you within half an hour. We have more live commentary for you from around the domestic leagues in the upcoming week, so be sure to check back in with us for that. Until then, though, it is goodbye!