England match seen by 10m people

Jermain Defoe scored the goal that put England through to the next round

England's World Cup tie with Slovenia was seen by an average of 10 million people, according to overnight figures.

The audience reached a peak of 14m at 1630 BST, close to the final whistle when England secured qualification with a 1-0 victory.

The number of people who viewed the match is likely to have been higher, as many watched on big screens in pubs and public spaces.

It also does not take into account how many saw the game while at work.

According to the BBC, a peak of 800,000 people streamed the match via the internet.

The data, provided by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb), suggest three out of every four people watching TV on Wednesday afternoon were tuned in to the game on BBC One.

Its nearest competitor was BBC Two's Wimbledon coverage, which averaged an audience of 1.7m over a much longer time period.

According to Barb's figures, though, more people saw England's last match against Algeria on Friday evening.

The goalless draw - broadcast on ITV1 - was watched by an average of 14.3m, peaking at 19m in its closing stages.

England's opening match against the US on 12 June, also broadcast in the evening, was seen by an average of 13.2m viewers.

Its peak audience of 17.7m again came towards the end of the game, which England drew 1-1 after a howler from goalkeeper Robert Green.