IT was done almost with an arrogant expectancy. Missing their best central defender, Kohler, and the inspirational Klinsmann up front, Germany still retained the inner strength to triumph in a match of unbelievable tension. A gripping battle that would have graced the final saw the better team win, despite a brave England performance.

From my standpoint as a former international, there is something very special about the Germans. It is the meticulous attention to detail which saw them construct a special training pitch in Manchester to replicate the dimensions of Wembley. And it is the marvellous tactical awareness which dates back to their World Cup triumph in Munich in 1974.

As a spectacle, last night's match was surpassed only by the scoreless draw that the Germans played against Italy. That was really special as far as I was concerned, for the manner in which they avoided defeat, despite being generally outplayed. And they did it by saving a penalty and playing 30 minutes with 10 men.

That was the sort of professionalism that England had to overcome last night and I'm afraid just weren't good enough. But there was much to admire in this England performance. Most importantly, there must now be a belief that despite an absence of success at the highest level, they are worthy of competing with the best.

Obviously it was a sad departure for their coach, Terry Venables, but I believe he has left a rich legacy. He has become the first England manager in recent years who has had the courage and commitment to work towards achieving a settled team. As a consequence, we didn't see any panic changes when the match moved into "Golden Goal" time.

The fact that out of 12 penalty kicks, the only weak one happened to be taken by England's Southgate, is a clear reflection of how well the home team competed throughout the match. If there was an obvious weakness, it was the employment of Sheringham in too deep a position, with the result that most of Shearer's attacking efforts were effectively telegraphed.

I sympathise with England and with Venables for the heartbreak they have had to endure in getting so close to their dream final. They were bold in their approach to the tournament and I believe that in Gascoigne, McManaman and Anderton they had the most creative midfield in the tournament.

Venables must be applauded for that. As I had indicated, however, there was a tactical weakness up front.

Meanwhile, the Germans showed themselves to be supreme professionals. And there was passion in their play, particularly in the first period of extra time. Then there was the majestic performance of Eilts, who has probably made more tackles than any other defender in Euro `96 and hasn't received a yellow cards. Surely there's a lesson there for the hard men of the game.

While Sammer, the elegant sweeper, was being hailed as the player to watch in the German team, I feel that Eilts showed us true quality last night. His great strength was that he seemed always to be expecting the worst from the England attack, with the result that he was never ruffled. And on the odd occasion that he did err, there always seemed to be sufficient time to rectify matters.

But there were still weaknesses in the German defence, notably their vulnerability to high bails. As the game wore on, however, they compensated by pushing the two wing backs forward to ensure that England crossed from a deep position. And almost invariably, Germany's defenders were always facing the opposition.

As for the penalties one had to feel for Southgate. I remember when Liverpool won the European Cup on penalties in 1984 I was next in line to take a spot kick but, fortunately for me, Alan Kennedy scored.

At that stage of the proceedings, Venables would have asked for volunteers and when Southgate put his hand up, there was no way the manager was going to reject him.

In Venables' situation, I would have done likewise. But deep down, I would have wanted the offer to come from a forward, from a player who would have been used to finding himself in that position inside the penalty area.

Looking back over the short tenure of Venables as England coach, I suspect that people tended to judge him rather harshly. After all, the vast majority of his matches were friendlies, with the intention of building a side capable of winning Euro `96. And he very nearly pulled it off.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic achieved a triumph for discipline and self belief in their victory over France earlier in the day. It was a remarkable performance by a team which had sustained a potentially crushing 2-0 defeat in their opening match against Germany.

Forced to go into battle without four key players, they never panicked. Replacements had to be brought in, but the overall tactics remained unchanged. In that regard, Dusan Uhrin, the Czech coach, did a wonderful job. He convinced his players they could win the match on penalties. And they proved him right.

The overall quality of the penalty taking from both teams was most impressive, particularly by the Czechs. It becomes a very severe test of nerve and skill when a place in the final of a major competition is at stake and I thought the Czech goalkeeper, Kouba, did better than his French counterpart.

Lama had a tendency to move so quickly that he was virtually making up the penalty taker's mind as to where to place the shot. If I were a goalkeeper in such a situation, I would try to maintain a dominant position for as long as possible before deciding which way to dive.

Effectively, all of the pressure is on the taker. He's the one who must work out what she's going to do and then have the courage to see it through. And the longer the penalty taking goes on, the more the upcoming player must resist the approach. In that situation, I believe the goalkeeper can sow a seed of doubt by commanding the centre of the goal line.