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England 5-1 Croatia
Had England won 9-0 last night, as they could and should have done, it wouldn't have come close to matching the splendour of Croatia's last visit to Wembley.
The monumental fiasco that ensued that sodden autumnal evening two years ago has actually proved to be the finest moment in our post-1966 football history.
It salvaged the national side from perdition, removing Steve McClaren and thereby enabling Fabio Capello to disprove once and for all the demented notion - still inexplicably popular with the otherwise sane - that an international coach is far less central to a team's success than the players at his disposal.
Watching England terrorise the Croats throughout the most one-sided first half between two major football nations I can recall, the mind took a poignant trip down memory lane.
If only Capello had descended on the Football Association like a Mafiosi deus ex machina a few years earlier, when the received wisdom insisted that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard could not play effectively (ha, ha, ha) in the same midfield.
Under Don Fabio, rather than an ineffably clueless Sven-Goran Eriksson, England would have beaten Portugal to reach the 2006 World Cup semi-finals and might have squeaked past the French to reach the final against his native Italy, a strong and compact but far from unbeatable outfit. Who is to say we wouldn't be going to South Africa as defending ch ampions?
This is what a night like last night does to even the most cynical of fans. It lays waste the defences against fantasy and optimism and has us dreaming afresh of that gorgeous little golden statuette held aloft by English hands.
This time the hope may even be justified. Admittedly, a weakened Croatia were abysmal, playing from the start like men consigned to finishing second in the group and content to take their chances in a play-off.
Their vulnerability to quick, neat, sharp passing movements through the middle was startling, their inability to handle Aaron Lennon's pace on the right absolute.
Even so, this was a hugely encouraging effort as Lennon stole the show in sensational fashion.
If any Englishman since the Gazza of Italia 90 has performed half as gloriously, it escapes me.
There isn't a side in the world that won't double man-mark him now and while that will restrict his effectiveness in South Africa, it will free a lot of space elsewhere for others to exploit.
There was never any question about his pace - if he'd only shave his eyebrows, he'd be half a stone lighter and twice as quick - but his crossing is improving at last. There was much else to admire - the relentless energy of Lampard, the acuteness of Gerrard, Wayne Rooney's passing and appreciation of space, Glen Johnson's forward surges from right-back - as well as the odd blemish to neurose about.
Unusually for 5-1 victors, the finishing was poor. Lennon once and Emile Heskey twice (how do you persuade an alleged striker never to stray into the area?) fluffed shots when clean through on goal. And on the one occasion it was seriously tested, the defence was, yet again, unnervingly bamboozled.
Less pliant sides than Croatia (on this form Luxembourg, Mali and Vatican City all qualify) will expose this perplexing weakness. The age when defensively incompetent sides could win World Cups ended in 1970 with Pele's Brazilians.
Capello has nine months to correct the flaw and with the luxury of two more qualifying games to treat as glorified friendlies, he may be expected to do so. On the massive assumption that we somehow avoid the traditional pre-tournament spate of injuries to key players, this England team will take some stopping.
Before we become dangerously overexcited, it is worth remembering that not so long ago the majestic Spain of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Fernando Torres and David Villa - worthiest of World Cup favourites - passed us to distraction in Seville, while the Dutch entirely dominated a more recent first half against Capello's men. For all that, England took a giant stride last night by playing slick, creative, high-tempo football and exhibiting a level of fluid movement off the ball that was unimaginable a year ago.
The progress under Don Fabio has been remarkable, the current level of confidence unseen in decades.
England may very well fail to reach the final next July, let alone win the competition. But it now feels safe to assume that it will take an unusually gifted or lucky team to so much as take them to penalties.
