Algeria 0 Slovenia 1: Slovenia take group advantage with win

Algeria coach Rabah Saadane refused to blame goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi for the blunder which handed Slovenia their first points at a World Cup with this win in Polokwane.

In a match short on chances the Europeans benefited greatly from Chaouchi's handling, which had been suspect all game, with 11 minutes to go.

The 25-year-old misjudged former West Brom midfielder Robert Koren's shot from outside the area and when it bounced in front of him he bizarrely allowed the ball to go past, clipping his shoulder and hitting the net.

It was similar to the error England's Robert Green made in allowing the United States to equalise in their 1-1 draw in the same group on Saturday night.

"Everyone saw what happened with the ball, and what happened with England's goalkeeper," Saadane said.

"You have to adjust to the flight of the ball."

With the 'big two' in the group, England and the USA, drawing Saturday this game was an opportunity to seize a significant advantage and Saadane bemoaned his side's failure to do so as they now face England on Friday. "We must recover and prepare for an even more difficult match against England, who are the best of the group," he added. "It's going to be very difficult now. We had a great opportunity and we missed it."

For Slovenia it was a totally different story as they leapt to the top of the group, registering their first World Cup win having returned home from their only previous appearance in Japan and South Korea eight years ago with three defeats.

"It was a mental victory," said coach Matjaz Kek. "We wanted to win so much, so it's great for our confidence to get that win.

"Algeria had a mental advantage over us. They are used to big matches but we stood proud and got a wonderful result."