England defeats Slovenia 2-1 in unconvincing win at Wembley leading to World Cup qualifier

England beats Slovenia 2-1 in exhibition

WEMBLEY, England — England prepared for its World Cup qualifier against Croatia with an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Saturday, with Wayne Rooney drawing a questionable penalty kick.

Frank Lampard converted the penalty kick in the 31st minute of the exhibition game at Wembley after Rooney appeared to drag down Slovenia defender Bostjan Cesar.

Substitute Jermain Defoe scored the game’s best goal to make it 2-0, shooting between two defenders from 20 yards in the 63rd minute. Zlatan Ljubijankic scored for Slovenia with a header in the 85th minute.

This was Defoe’s fifth goal in three games for England, raising the prospect that coach Fabio Capello will start him Wednesday against Croatia. With a victory, England qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“Everyone wants to play, no one wants to sit on the bench,” said Defoe, who replaced Emile Heskey at halftime. “But if I can come on and make an impact I’ll do that.”

Capello remains concerned about his team’s defensive lapses. Slovenia’s goal on a near-post header came after errors by Glen Johnson and Joleon Lescott.

“The concentration was not good in the last five minutes,” Capello said. “I want the players to be more focused in every moment.”