A LATE, devastating, truly shocking nightmare for English football eyes that saw Zinedine Zidane score two goals in injury-time to deny England what had appeared to be the most glorious of starts to their European Championship campaign.

Sol Campbell stood with a dazed expression, Steven Gerrard tried to comfort Frank Lampard but there was no comfort after a script which shook Sven-Goran Eriksson's men to the core.

A goal to the good through the superb Lampard for so long, they should have been two up only for David Beckham's penalty to be saved by goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

Even so, even allowing for Becks' profligacy, England just did not deserve this.

They did not deserve to see the Zidane free-kick which flew past England goalkeeper David James before he had even moved.

Truly they did not deserve to concede a penalty with the last kick of the game after James had brought down Thierry Henry.

Not because Henry was not caught by James.

He was, upended by the most agricultural of challenges as England lost their concentration.

But England and Eriksson did not deserve the outcome - a potential two-point lead in Group B turned into no points, rock bottom and in dire danger of going out.

And all gone in 60 seconds.

Football has not seen such drama since Manchester United won the Champions' League back in 1999 with two goals in injury-time.

Now the question is: how will they react to such a demoralising result?

They will need all their courage, all their powers of recovery, all the organisation and structure Eriksson can bring to a team that must feel shell-shocked.

And, for so long, this had been almost the perfect performance.

True, more grit than guile, more good, honest sweat than cerebral football.

But, sometimes, it is better to do the simple things effectively than the eye-catching stuff not so well.

If ever there was a game that demonstrated that maxim, it was this one.

There is still hope as we saw nothing for 90 minutes from the French, the reigning champions, to trouble England unduly.

And certainly there is nothing to fear from Switzerland and Croatia, England's other opponents in Group B, who earlier had fought out an insipid goalless draw.

Gerrard and Lampard had been tireless in midfield, cutting off France's supply line to Zidane, devouring space, denying the French time to apply their brush strokes to a game which was never going to be about artistry.

It was about passion and commitment and the snarling tenacity of Paul Scholes and, if the truth be told, Wayne Rooney, who lived on the touchline of sanity at times but nevertheless proved a constant menace.

And then there was Ledley King, the Tottenham man playing only his second international and his first competitive one. He was quite magnificent.

"Thierry Henry, you're having a laugh," was the favourite ditty of the England followers - and for so long it carried some substance.

Henry, undeniably the best striker in the world, barely had a kick and that was down to the instant understanding of King with his more experienced partner Sol Campbell.

But, mostly, it was a collective effort - every man doing his duty, every player knowing his role and sticking to his job - until that final miserable finale.

If only Beckham had converted that penalty when Rooney was brought down by Silvestre.

He did not but it was a fabulous save from Barthez.

If the English concentration had held out for one more minute - but again that is an 'if only' and football is about 'what is.'

'If only, if only.'

It was not to be. And if it was not Nightmare on Elm Street, it certainly was Gone in 60 Seconds.