At the end there was no disputing the statistic that traditionally has defined football matches.

An England team, without captain John Terry and best player Wayne Rooney, had scored a goal and Spain, the world and
European champions — and the defining team of their generation — had not.

True, by all other criteria, England would have come out inferior: passes completed, chances created, passes made, possession.

Winner: Frank Lampard stoops to conquer Spain

But there it was: England, outplayed for long periods in which their ambition was minimal and their control of the ball still less, emerged as victors. Nothing wrong with a cross, a flick on and a rebound, as it turns out, and, for Frank Lampard, England’s stand-in captain, it provided the only goal of the game.

Spain, for all their exquisite possession, were undone by an unfamiliar problem and Fabio

Capello could consider that the sacrificeof missing the wedding of his son, Pierfilippo, in Milan was not in vain.

For the England manager, who had designed a tactical trap that his players executed perfectly, this was an evening of positives.

Scott Parker’s reputation grows with every match as did, last night, Joleon Lescott’s and Phil Jagielka’s.

His team have also demonstrated that they can keep a defensive shape for 90 minutes and yet, for Capello, there was more.
For him, it was the emergence of a new generation that enthused  him as he surveyed the game. ‘It is important for the squad and the fans to find confidence when we beat the world champions,’ said Capello.

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