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This article was published 19/06/2010 (5951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Algeria held England to a 0-0 draw Friday and left one of the World Cup favourites on the brink of elimination with one game to go in the first round.

With a sullen Wayne Rooney scoreless for a seventh straight match, England lacked heart and inspiration, struggling throughout against an opponent fighting to avoid becoming the first to be eliminated from the World Cup.

“We weren’t aggressive enough,” England captain Steven Gerrard said. “We never had the cutting edge.”

The result set up a Group C finale on Wednesday with England taking on Slovenia and the United States playing Algeria. Slovenia leads the group with four points, followed by England and the United States with two each. Algeria has one point.

“We got no excuses,” Gerrard said. “We got to go and win the last game.”

Even Algeria coach Rabah Saadane was surprised at England’s poor performance.

“I thought they would be better,” Saadane said. “They were not at their best.”

England coach Fabio Capello benched bungling goalkeeper Robert Green and brought back 39-year-old David James to boost confidence in the defence. With the return of defensive midfielder Gareth Barry, others would be unleashed to provide offensive sparkle against a tournament outsider.

But England still produced its second dud in as many games. Rooney, touted as one of the World Cup’s biggest stars, struggled again and failed to muscle his way past the sturdy Algerian defence.

Algeria, fighting for World Cup survival, took the game to England and looked good during the first half and good enough afterward.

— The Associated Press