The delirium that followed shortly afterwards meant it went unnoticed by the heaving hordes celebrating England's win.

But one telling statistic needs trotting out now to temper the euphoria that is sweeping the nation.

Two minutes before half-time, immediately before Emile Heskey scored England's third goal, a graphic flashed on the television screen.

It said simply: "Possession - Denmark 61 per cent, England 39 per cent."

Yet England were two goals up, about to score a third, and the travelling army were already plotting how to get to Shizuoka for Friday's quarter-final.

Of course, England were similarly dominated by Argentina and they came through that most demanding of examinations unscathed - just.

In football, possession does not constitute nine-tenths of the law - just ask the dejected Danes currently heading back to Copenhagen.

But if they meet Brazil in the last eight and replicate the sort of performance that allowed Denmark to dictate so much of Saturday's game, they will be writing their own World Cup obituary.

Before England met Brazil in the searing midday degree heat of Guadalajara in 1970, Sir Alf Ramsey asked his players: "Do you like gold?"

They replied that they did, and Ramsey said: "Well today you must treat the ball like gold. Once you give it away, it will not be handed back."

At times on Saturday, England treated the ball as if it were a bar of soap, so recklessly did they squander possession.

Instead of taking their time, pulling their opponents around the pitch as they probed for an opening, they looked for the killer ball too soon.

Remember the wonderful 17-pass move against Argentina that culminated with Teddy Sheringham's volley that almost put England 2-0 up?

Well, that control and poise was completely absent in Niigata.

Such slackness will cost England dear against a team that is not quite as generous in defence as the Danes. They cannot expect every goalkeeper to emulate Thomas Sorensen in offering the gifts that led to the first and third goals.

Too often, an aimless ball lofted forward eluded England's strikers and allowed Denmark to regroup.

Give the likes of Rivaldo the monopoly of possession that Thomas Gravesen enjoyed, and the Brazilian will pull England's defence apart.

Give the likes of Ronaldo the sort of opportunity that Ebbe Sand squandered when England were 2-0 up, and David Seaman will be picking the ball out of his net.

This may sound churlish, pointing out flaws in a performance that dismantled the team that beat France just four days earlier.

But just as it wasn't all doom and gloom after the Nigeria match, so England will need to raise their game whether they play Brazil or Belgium on Friday.

England's last-eight place belies their inexperience. One suspects even Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has counselled caution throughout his 19-month reign, is surprised by his side's achievements.

After all, weren't we in the Group of Death? And after finishing second behind Argentina, weren't we going to lose to France in the next round?

Well, yes, no and no. But it has been a tournament for surprises; for the old order to be swept aside.

The energy of sides like England, and notably hosts Japan and South Korea, has brought rich rewards. Ageing, established countries such as France and Argentina have foundered.

England entered the World Cup bedevilled by problems. Would David Beckham be fit? Can anyone adequately replace Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville?

Those questions have been answered in the affirmative, and England have one crucial factor in the favour - momentum.

Even the anaemic display against Nigeria failed to take the wind out of England's World Cup sails, and the ship was never going to be blown off course once Sorensen's error put them in front.

Nicky Butt's performances are underlining why signing Juan Sebastian Veron was such an act of folly by Sir Alex Ferguson.

And England's defensive unit is looking strong - a necessity for any team with designs on lifting the World Cup.

So it's looking good, but it's not perfect. Eriksson knows that, of course, and knows how to rectify it.

He could start by reminding his players of the value of gold