Night to break English hearts

There were howls of disbelief followed by silence in the Varsity pub in the centre of Southampton as England once again failed to negotiate the final stages of a major championship after extra time and penalties.

Hundreds of fans held their heads in disbelief as history repeated itself. This time however, it was not the Germans who broke English hearts - but Portugal, the hosts of Euro 2004.

Stunned fans, some close to tears, blamed the Swiss referee for failing to award Sol Campbell's goal in the dying minutes of the match.

Others blamed David Beckham for his loss of form in the championships. But most admitted that - at least on the night - England's players were just not good enough.

A depressed Nathan Thompson, 19, from Norham Avenue in Shirley, said: "I blame Beckham. He missed the penalty. He didn't do anything."

Roger Redhat, 21, a roofer from Cumbrian Way, Millbrook, added: "It was the Swiss referee. There was something dodgy about him."

Earlier, the mood at the Varsity had been so different with hundreds of passionate and noisy fans - many wearing England shirts or with their faces painted with the cross of St George - confidently predicting victory against the Portuguese.

The hit song Three Lions song blared out at maximum volume before the start of the crunch match with even the opening credits of the BBC's TV coverage cheered to the rafters every time an England player was featured.

Most fans believed that Michael Owen was going to score. And a deafening roar echoed through the packed pub as the star put England ahead in only the third minute of the game.

The triumphant chanting was soon replaced by worried faces as the team's superstar Wayne Rooney was taken off early in the match with an injured foot.

The early optimism was replaced with a nail-biting hour as England hung on to their one goal lead.

And there were gasps of horror as Portugal equalised with only minutes to go before the full-time whistle.

But that was not the end of the drama. As the game went into extra time, fans were put on the rack as Portugal went ahead in the second period of extra time.

Optimism was briefly restored when Frank Lampard scored his dramatic last- gasp goal to take the team into yet another cliffhanger.

The optimism was quickly replaced by despair and disbelief as England's team once again lost out in the almost unbearable tension of the penalty shoot-out.

After the match, fans drifted away in sad and silent groups - leaving behind a carpet of empty plastic beer glasses and their hopes for the England side.

Katie Bacon, 18, from Portsmouth Road, Southampton said: "The match was brilliant until the Portuguese scored - then I was depressed. I still love England though."

Her friend Amber Barfoot from The Midlands Estate in Southampton added: "They did not play as well as they should have."

In Lisbon, many dejected England fans were in tears. Debbie Thorne, 29, from the Isle of Wight said: "I blame Beckham. He was the first penalty-taker. If you choose to take the first one you have to score.

"It's incredibly frustrating, and bringing Phil Neville on was a big mistake."

Steve Coyle, 29, also from the Isle of Wight, said: "I'm gutted. It always seems to be the way with England. The luck just never goes our way.

"I don't think you can blame Eriksson, but it seems we always try to sit back on a 1-0 lead, and we never keep it.

"He thinks we're the Italians - and we're not. At the moment I'm not pleased for the Portuguese at all, but I suppose I will be in the morning."

Hampshire police put on extra patrols across the county, including South-amp-ton and Winchester, to combat possible disorder as thousands of dejected fans poured out of the pubs.

A police spokesman said there had been a higher level of emergency service calls than normal following England's defeat.

He added: "We have had a lot of calls about public disturbances with groups coming out of pubs, but nothing of any serious nature. Each of the force's ten areas put on extra officers for public reassurance."