Matthew Upson rightly earned rave reviews for his display against Slovenia as England won through to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.
The match was broadcast live on the BBC and much of the post-match analysis of the 1-0 victory in Port Elizabeth focused on his tournament-saving tackle on Zlatko Dedic in the 90th minute. Upson had only come into the side for his finals bow following Ledley King's injury and Jamie Carragher's suspension - and stood up to the task.
Focusing on that last-ditch moment, former England striker Alan Shearer said: "In a clutch of players, Matthew Upson was brilliant … It must have been mentally tough for him to come in, seeing the other players ahead of him like King and Carragher, but he came in and did what he had to do."
Shearer's former international team-mate Lee Dixon was also full of praise, and suggested as well that Upson should figure in the second-round tie on Sunday afternoon against the as yet unknown winners of Group D. "He should keep his place, he did everything he had to do," he said.
Former Scotland centre-back Alan Hansen also had positive things to say and suggested the combination of Upson with John Terry "worked well". Of that crucial tackle, he said: "What a tackle at what was a crucial point of the game. It was absolutely perfect."