Great Britain beat UAE 3-1 at Wembley to ensure that a draw against Uruguay in their final group game will take them through to the quarter-finals.
Skipper Ryan Giggs headed GB in front and Tom Cleverley hit the post as GB led at the break.
Rashed Eisa equalised with a composed finish in front of an increasingly anxious Wembley crowd.
But substitute Scott Sinclair struck a minute after coming on and Daniel Sturridge’s deft chip sealed the win.
However, it was a far from comfortable match for Stuart Pearce’s team and there were times after UAE’s second-half equaliser when the occasional boo could be heard inside the stadium.
The mood changed completely when GB struck twice in three minutes but there is much room for improvement for Pearce’s team ahead of their match against Uruguay in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Uruguay, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were stunned 2-0 by 10-man Senegal at Wembley earlier in the day.
The impressive Moussa Konate scored twice for the African side, who had to play for more than an hour with 10 men after the dismissal of Aboulaye Ba following a professional foul on Luis Suarez.
Senegal, like GB, now have four points and take on a UAE side that has lost both of their games when they meet in their final Group A match.
Uruguay have three points compared to GB’s four, meaning that a draw will be enough for Pearce’s team to reach the last eight.
It should make for a fascinating match, with plenty to maintain the interest of the crowd.
In truth, there was little to enthuse the crowd in the opening phase of Sunday’s game and the Mexican wave appeared as early as the fifth minute, but they were given something to cheer when GB’s Welsh connection struck again.
Giggs started a move that Bellamy finished against Senegal last Thursday, but it was the latter who assumed the role of creator on Sunday, delivering a deep cross that the Manchester United veteran headed home.
Aaron Ramsey, one of three changes along with striker Marvin Sordell and James Tomkins, was very involved on the right and he started a move that culminated in a shot from Bellamy that Ali Khaseif saved.
Ramsey also picked out Sordell but the Bolton striker’s shot from 18 yards took a slight deflection before the keeper tipped it around the post for a corner.
But there were large periods in the opening 45 minutes when UAE looked equally as threatening and it took a good block to deny Rashed Eisa while Ahmed Khalil later surged past right-back Richards before delivering a low pass across the face of goal.
The game could have taken a decisive turn before the break but midfielder Cleverley was extremely unfortunate to see his 18-yard strike hit both posts and rebound to safety after superb approach work from Bellamy.
There had been no clear-cut chances after the restart before UAE pulled level when Rashed Eisa collected a through ball and glided past the static Tomkins before slotting his effort beyond Butland.
There was a real sense of panic inside the ground and the situation could have been a lot worse but Butland made a great save with his legs to deny Ahmed Khalil after a quick exchange of passes opened up the GB defence.
However, the impressive Bellamy crossed for Sinclair to level and Cleverley played a brilliant pass for Sturridge, who struck the decisive third.
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