SPAIN 0-0 ENGLAND (P) FRANCE (P) 0-0 NETHERLANDS

STORY OF THE DAY The afternoon events at Wembley foreshadow similar tension in the evening, as France and the Dutch manage one decent first-half opportunity apiece at Anfield. The second half is different only in that they’re fitfully attacking different ends, though Phillip Cocu’s deflected free-kick kisses a post and Bernard Lama saves from Clarence Seedorf. And so to the shootout. Six uniformly fantastic penalties are tucked home but then Seedorf misses – and no one else falters. Stepping up last, Laurent Blanc seals a semi-final spot for France, whose tournament decade post-1986 consisted of three failures to qualify either side of three winless group games at Euro 92.

THE GOOD Giving every overgrown schoolboy a little snigger with his name, Johan de Kock appears willing to live down to their juvenility, faffing about with his shorts before smashing his penalty against the crossbar, down behind Lama and back up into the roof of the net. THE BAD Viewers at home watch four hours of football with not a single goal scored all day. Meanwhile, Anfield’s stands are awash with orange facepaint dissolved by tears as there’s more shootout heartache for the Netherlands, who had lost to Denmark on penalties in the Euro 92 semi-finals. They will later repeat the trick in the semi-finals of France 98 (to Brazil) and Euro 2000 (to Italy).

THEY SAID WHAT?! “Gary Neville is petrified of you lot. He’s young, he’s reading the papers and he’s coming up to me, asking: ‘Have you seen what they’re saying?’” – Terry Venables on his players’ hostility to the press.

THE MEDIA The Times’ front page describes England’s showdown with Spain as “the most important [clash] between the countries since 1588”. It isn’t only hyperbole, but underplays the Anglo-spanish Wars of both 1625-30 and 1654-60, the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), the Anglo-spanish War of 1727-29, the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), the Battle of Trafalgar... you get the idea.

IN OTHER NEWS... Sourav Ganguly scores 131 on his Test debut at Lord’s – he’ll go on to become India’s most successful captain.