Stuttgart, Germany (My Sportsbook) - Playing in 90 degree heat, David Beckham gave England fans a reason to cheer, as the captain sent a beautiful free kick into the back of the net to give the team a 1-0 win over Ecuador, and a spot in the quarterfinals.

After a scoreless first half, Beckham opened the second half with the 60th minute goal. The team benefited from superb defense to hold onto the one goal lead.

With the win, England moves on to face Portugal on Saturday in Gelsenkirchen. England has made it to the quarterfinals in four of the last five World Cups.

In the 4-5-1 formation on the field, England was given an early free kick just outside of the Ecuador penalty box. Beckham took the set piece from the left side, but England wasn't able to construct a shot on goal from the opportunity.

Ashley Cole kept the match scoreless by sliding in front of Edwin Tenorio's shot in the 11th minute. Tenorio broke through the defense, but right as he was about to shoot, Cole slid in front of the shot, deflecting the ball just enough so that it hit the cross bar and flew out of bounds.

The near miss erupted cheers from both sections.

But despite the quickened pace, both teams still struggled to find any great goal scoring opportunities.

Wayne Rooney found England's first shot on goal in the 15th minute, but the loan striker's shot fell easily into the hands of goalkeeper Cristian Mora.

At the half, both teams had played a fairly even match, with England taking two shots on goal compared to Ecuador's one. Overall, both teams combined for six shots and 25 fouls. There were also three cautions issued, two of which to Ecuador.

Entering the second half, neither manager opted to change his starting lineups.

England continued to pressure Ecuador's defense, and finally found the first goal of the match, on the free kick from Beckham.

The midfielder, who is famous for his curling free kicks, was given the set piece in the 60th minute. With the ball placed just outside of the left corner of the penalty box, Beckham sent a curling shot to the near post, which knocked off the post and into the net, leaving Mora with little chance to make a save.

The goal gave England the crucial lead, and sent the thousands of English fans into cheers. With the goal, Beckham has become the first England player to score in three World Cups.

In the 69th minute, Ecuador manager Luis Suarez made the first substitution of the match, bringing in Christian Lara for Tenorio.

Ecuador finished the match with three shots on goal and nine attempts.