It was cruel and impossibly dramatic and England barely deserved it after all they have brought to this European Championship.

But they are flying home once more after a quarter-final in a major tournament, albeit after one of the most absorbing and thrilling encounters of an intriguing Euro 2004. And on penalties at that.

England just do not do penalties.

Ask Chris Waddle or Stuart Pearce, or David Batty or Gareth Southgate. And now ask David Beckham and Darius Vassell, who both missed spot-kicks in as thrilling a penalty shoot-out as you are ever likely to experience.

For good measure Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo, after saving Vassell's penalty, got to his feet, grabbed the ball, placed it on the spot and smashed the winning kick home himself.

England did not deserve that.

But what a game.

It was the sort of fabulous, exciting, heart-pounding match which demonstrated exactly why this is the most popular game on the planet.

The sort England fans present will be relating to open-mouthed grandchildren in 50 years' time.

They will tell of the wonderful aplomb with which Michael Owen slotted the opening goal.

They will tell of the heart and courage of England's defence and the psychological blow of a late Portuguese equaliser from Helder Postiga.

They will tell of the apparent last-minute winner by Sol Campbell in normal time harshly disallowed.

And they will tell of England's bravery in extra-time when they withstood a howitzer of a pounding from a Portugal playing for the heart of a nation, Frank Lampard equalising the most ferocious of strikes from Rui Costa.

And they they will come to the penalties and no doubt dust-off the video of another round of pizza adverts which will record perhaps the most abject spot-kick in Euro Championship history from the England captain.

Give him credit he was first to take one, but all England now wishes he had not after he ballooned the ball over the bar like a 24-handicapper with the biggest shank of the weekly medal.

Beckham looked at the ground. He was complaining about his footing. Maybe he was hoping it would open up and devour him.

Why is it that when England put the ball on the 12-yard spot the odds are they lose? It is just one of those Murphy's laws, like the toast falling buttered side down.

It did not help that three of England's first-choice penalty-takers had left the field, Rooney through injury and Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard by substitution.

But let us not point the finger of blame. Not at Beckham, not at an England team which has played with such heart and skill and not at manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who once again saw Luiz Felipe Scolari emerge victorious in a quarter-final, just as he had done at the last World Cup.

At the end the players went to their fantastic supporters who had roared them on a carpet of noise all night, all tournament if the truth be told. They applauded, the players waved back and then they scurried for the tunnel, brave but beaten.

You had to feel for them. This match was always going to be a question of whether England could ride the momentum which had seen them beat Switzerland and Croatia and whether the host nation would be lifted or intimidated by the fervour of their own football-mad nation.

The stadium was an almost equal split with the green and red of Portugal having the edge over the white of England but it made for a fabulous atmosphere.

The England players all wore black armbands in memory of the fan who died at the hands of a pickpocket in this city earlier in the week. And thankfully both national anthems were meticulously respected.

Barely had they stopped singing, however, than the ball was in the Portuguese net. A long punt from David James, the poorest of attempted headed clearances from defender Costinha and Owen was in.

Even in a poor run of goal-scoring form Owen does not miss chances like that, dispatching the ball past Ricardo with the confidence which has been the hallmark of this England side. Two minutes 27 seconds on the clock, one-nil to England and we wondered if this might be a repeat of four years ago when Scholes had scored first, again in the third minute, only for England to lose. We wondered but we did not believe.

Because this is a far more robust side than that one containing the fragile Steve McManaman and managed by the technically deficient Kevin Keegan.

Even so when Rooney went down after shedding a boot in a collision with agricultural Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade we feared the worst.

He had treatment. He tried to play on but it was immediately clear by his gingerly tread that this was more serious. He turned several times to England physio Gary Lewin. The increasingly painful grimace told the story all England dreaded. he did not quite shed a Gazza-like tear but he was close to it.

And when Vassell jumped up on the touchline it was obvious that Rooney's day was done. Within minutes he was on his way for precautionary X-rays.

The England mascot, the talisman of this intriguing tournament, was gone with just 27 minutes on the clock and we feared for the psychological effect on Eriksson's side.

There is no doubt England went into their shell at that point. They stopped taking the game to Portugal. They were content to sit deep and defend their advantage.

A dangerous game, even if for so long it seemed to be frustrating the life out of Portugal. Yes, Portugal have wonderful skill in players such as Miguel, Ronaldo, Deco and Nuno Gomes but the manic gesticulations of Scolari on the touchline told the agonies he was going through.

There could not be a coach more contrasting to England's ice-man and who would win their tactical battle had been one of the great preambles to this match. But after Helder Postiga's close-range header took us into extra-time it was out of the coach's hands, it was down to raw courage.

And in truth at that point Portugal were much the better team. Costa's 20-yard rocket was a goal to dream about. Even then England came back through Lampard.

Yet when it came to penalties all England must have worried. England just do not do penalties.

More is the pity.