Titan Terry! This is Pure Class

As Slovenia's substitute, Zlatko Dedic, prepared to pull the trigger, there was only one thought in the mind of John Terry. It was to get his body, any part of his body, in front of the goal.

If he took one, so be it, if it hurt, he would shrug it off, as he always does. So Terry climbed to his feet and threw himself, full length, in front of Dedic like a Secret Service agent shielding bullets from the presidential motorcade.

There are certain images that are made for the slow motion replay, that reveal, frame by frame, the measure of a sportsman. The montage of unencumbered determination displayed in front of England's goal after 68 minutes yesterday was one such sequence.

Head first: John Terry courageously dives across as Slovenia substitute Zlatko Dedic fires goalwards late in the game, an example of the fighting spirit which saw England through

When Dedic made to shoot, Terry entered the picture from the left, his arms at first outstretched and then pulled to his side to better propel him towards the target. Now diving, he literally clawed at the air to arrive even a fraction of a second quicker and then, as the ball was released, he thrust his head forward and down, as if breasting a tape, every sinew in his neck stretched in a doomed attempt to deflect the ball from its trajectory.

Glen Johnson, behind him, made the block anyway, but Johnson sensibly covered his privates as he did so. There was no such consideration for Terry, who landed on his right shoulder, his right arm twisted behind his back, his prone figure a tableau of total abandon. He hit the ground with all the grace of a felled telegraph pole.

Friends reunited: Capello hugs Terry at the final whistle

And in that instant, unless Fabio Capello has iced water in his veins, he would have murmured a silent thanks for Terry, the extraordinary footballer.

He has made his judgments on the man and it would seem he is not alone in his disapproval. Yet any condemnation of Terry, any disparagement of his human failings or the clumsiness of his machinations, should always be tempered by an acknowledgement of his worth to the team.

This is why Capello chastised him for some ill-considered opinions expressed this week, but stopped short of the ultimate act act of disciplinary action . Send Terry home and England would surely have followed; maybe today.