Rio Ferdinand - brilliant for England.

By Chris Roberts, PA Sport

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England's magnificent defence has helped them get through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, conceding just one goal along the way.

Many believe England have the best defence left in the competition - a state of affairs which seemed unlikely before Sven-Goran Eriksson's men left for Japan and Korea.

But Leeds United star Danny Mills and Arsenal's Ashley Cole have proved the doubters wrong with rock-solid campaigns so far, establishing a bond alongside Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand.

Here we compares England's defence with the rest left in the World Cup.

ENGLAND

David Seaman - Every top defence needs somebody that they can trust behind them and Campbell and Cole know from playing in front of him at Arsenal this season that they do not have any worries on that front. For Mills and Ferdinand he has had to earn that, but he has hardly put a foot wrong at this tournament.

Danny Mills - Many questioned the Elland Road man's ability and temperament before they flew to the Far East, but he has made the full-back berth his own with some solid performances while also keeping his temper in check.

Ashley Cole - Despite winning the Double with Arsenal he still looks vulnerable against some of the top wingers in the world, but his overlapping bursts down the left have given England another attacking option.

Sol Campbell - The intimidating centre-half knew all about Cole after a successful season at Highbury, but there have been question marks about his partnership with Ferdinand. Even though he is prone to the odd clumsy mistake, he has forged one of the strongest bonds with his partner at the heart of the England defence.

Rio Ferdinand - A brilliant World Cup so far for the Leeds captain and he has become one of the most sought-after defenders in world football. He has cut out the defensive lapses which held him back in the past and looks frighteningly at ease tackling, breaking down moves and distributing the ball to give England a solid but classy look.

ITALY:

Like Ferdinand, Lazio stopper Alessandro Nesta has been the subject of mounting speculation as to where he will be plying his trade for the start of the new season after some stylish and commanding performances at the heart of the Azzurri's defence.

He is currently fighting it out with Ferdinand for the accolade of being the best defender at the World Cup, but his quest has been helped considerably by those alongside him - goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, central defensive partner Fabio Cannavaro, right-back Christian Panucci and left-back Paolo Maldini.

Italy have had a settled back four for some time and have the advantage over England in terms of experience at the top level. They look even more solid and slicker than the English defence, but the one weak link would appear to be Maldini, who looks to have lost his edge and pace that once made him the best in the world.

GERMANY:

The Germans have always built their success on a compact defence and although England exposed them cruelly to win 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Munich they have tightened up significantly to concede just one goal so far in the tournament.

Oliver Kahn, Thomas Linke, Christoph Metzelder, Marko Rehmer, Frank Baumann and Christian Ziege have all looked tight as they have progressed to the last eight, albeit beating Saudi Arabia, Paraguay and Cameroon along the way.

But they again looked vulnerable against the Republic of Ireland, who carved out a number of good chances, and look like conceding goals in the next rounds.

BRAZIL:

Everyone is aware of Brazil's attacking threat, but at the back they are always going to concede goals as they proved against Costa Rica and Turkey.

Central defender Edmilson summed up their attitude to football with a burst forward finished off with an acrobatic overhead kick in that 5-2 victory.

Wing-backs Cafu and Roberto Carlos are often seen racing past Rivaldo and Ronaldo while Roque Junior and goalkeeper Marcos look vulnerable, but in Bayer Leverkusen star Lucio they have a world-class defender although too much is dependent on him.

SPAIN:

Spain's troubled defence could well prove to be their downfall at this World Cup.

Their attacking play and flair has been breathtaking at times, but they have already conceded four goals and look disorganised at the back.

That should not be the case with the experienced central defensive pairing of Fernando Hierro and Miguel Angel Nadal present, but so far they have looked hesitant and sadly past their best.

SOUTH KOREA:

The Asians have been the biggest success story at the World Cup and it is their impressive defence which has given their wonderfully creative players the platform to perform and to book their place in the final stages.

Captain Hong Myung-Bo and Kim Tae-Young have looked composed, but it is Choi Jin-Cheul who has inspired his team-mates with his contribution.

BELGIUM:

The Red Devils have quietly come through the group stages - but their success has been down to their attacking threat and organisation rather than their defending.

Group H was possibly one of the weakest in the World Cup and yet they conceded five goals from their games against Japan, Tunisia and Russia and sneaked through to the next stages.

JAPAN:

The co-hosts have played some attractive football, but without a secure and hard-working defence they would not have progressed.

They went through the group stages having conceded just two goals in the game against Belgium, but they do not look as solid as the South Koreans.

TURKEY:

The Turkish defence have looked assured in their opening three World Cup games against Brazil, Costa Rica and China and conceded three goals.

The Europeans can also count themselves unlucky not to take at least a point off the new favourites to win the competition and have proved what can be achieved with a settled and experienced defence which features Aston Villa star Alpay Ozalan.

USA:

The Americans have been one of the luckiest sides to remain in the competition, having gone through on the back of their stunning start against Portugal.

Having taken a three-goal lead they hung on to win, but they have already conceded six goals in three games and their defence looked in disarray against Poland before South Korea saved them to beat Portugal.

VERDICT:

With so many brilliant strikers and creative players on show at the World Cup, all the defences are likely to be breached at some stage.

But although England look reassuringly solid, Italy just look to have the edge over them in terms of overall quality, strength, understanding and style.