MAYBE football has come home but, as yet, the three lions on the lager stained white shirt aren't ready for coronation as kings of the soccer jungle.

England crept past Spain on Saturday with a performance which told us plenty about their limitations, but did little to puncture the mood of unfettered optimism sweeping the host country.

Saturday at Wembley suggested that much of the four goal fiesta against the Dutch, which prompted the tabloid led orgy of self congratulation late last week, was down to the counterfeit nature of the challenge offered by the Dutch, who had sundered themselves yet again in the middle of a major competition.

Against a stern Spanish outfit on Saturday, England can consider themselves lucky to have got out alive. For long periods it looked as if the tabloid contortionists were going to have to perform yet another U turn. Spain had a good goal disallowed and a firm penalty claim denied. On top of that, they enjoyed the balance of play and mounted the more potent attacking threat.

"It was about passion and guts today," said Terry Venables of his team's style free performance. "The boys just fought and fought."

National virtues no doubt but England left Wembley breathing deep sighs of relief, having outgunned Spain in a penalty shoot out. Lessons about the extent of your own limitations are usually harsher than this. Terry Venables' men got the chance 19 patch and mend before the semifinal. Chief concern will be the restoration of Paul Ince to his holding role in midfield.

David Platt tackled well on Saturday, but he never exhibited his trademark trick of getting on the end of an English attack. Besides that, his passing was woeful.

Steve McManaman, the rubber legged Liverpool wonderkid, had a torrid first half, his defensive limitations being cruelly exposed by Barjuan Sergi. Venables bolted that door at the break, a tactical switch allowing McManaman to stay out of Sergi's way. The tousled haired one subsequently prospered as Sergi's influence waned.

There were other glitches too. The English attack was blunt. Shearer seldom got any service in the box and was reduced to falling back deep. Sheringham lacked positivity and even in promising situations deferred to Shearer with a series of unlikely passes.

Gascoigne, who of late has permitted the roots of his genius to peep out from beneath all the bleached buffoonery, tied up late in the game after a knock on the ankle. Too often before that, he went looking for the epigrammatical statement of his own worth instead of the effective pass.

All that combined to make Spain unlucky departees from the shores of Euro 96. They had laid down a marker about their sturdy, unfrilled style when Abelardo got himself booked after 20 seconds for a boneshaker of a challenge.

After that, Venables and Javier Clemente played a little poker, with the Spaniards hoping to draw England out into cavalier carelessness inspired by the fervour of the 75,440 crowd.

England were stolid rather than adventurous, but Spain still managed to create most of what was worthwhile. Kiko had the ball in the net with a marginal offside decision on 21 minutes. Twelve minutes later Salinas had a score denied for the same offence. TV revealed that to have been a poor decision, Salinas having been clearly onside when the ball was played to him.

That reprieve didn't inspire England however. Remembering perhaps how he tortured Niall Quinn in Lansdowne Road in 1990, Spain had moved Miguel Angle Nadal to the heart of their defence from a more offensive role, and once again he swept up most of what England threw in. Behind him, Abelardo's tackling never seemed inhibited by his early booking. England grew tentative and early shots from Shearer and Gascoigne were about the height of imaginative efforts.

Spain raided at will down the flanks, the left in particular. Their best chance came late in the half when Manjarin found himself bearing down on the English penalty area with only Seaman to beat. The Arsenal keeper advanced confidently like a great tide of yellow, however, unnerving Manjarin sufficiently for the Spaniard to lose control.

After the break, England relied less on the interventions of Southgate and Adams to keep them alive. Sheringham and Anderton both missed good chances. Spain were denied a reasonable penalty claim. Hierro blasted a fierce shot over the England bar. Kiko was denied by Seaman as England tired.

And so to extra time and the much touted first airing in a major competition of the Golden Goal rule.

Prepared to be glued to our seats for half an hour by the prospect of sudden death blood and guts, we instead got a tired supplement which went Golden Goalless.

In their eventual redemption through penalties, England were inclined to find moral validation having exited the 1990 World Cup at the semi final stage in such a penalty shoot out. Anything other than a significant improvement on Saturday's display will ensure an exit at the same stage of the current competition on Wednesday.