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Reuters News Article Misery and rage as England lose Fri 25 June, 2004 07:22 By Andrew Cawthorne LONDON (Reuters) - England fans stumbled into the streets in disbelief, misery and rage after their team were knocked out of the European Championship in a heartbreaking quarter-final. The loss on Thursday to Portugal after a shoot-out - the fourth time England has lost on penalties in a major tournament in 14 years - brought on a grim sense of deja vu. "The gods are always, always against England in the big tournaments," said mechanic Dave Johnson, 31, shaking his head in disbelief as he trooped home from The Gooners pub in London. The pub had been so packed that people were crowded on the street watching the game through windows. It cleared out minutes after Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo placed his spot kick past England's David James to win the game. "It's absolutely unbelievable. History is repeating itself. When will the luck ever go with us?" Johnson said. "This is beginning to scar me emotionally." The Times called the match "torture by means of football" and said it was a "night of swirling emotions and football that touched levels of perfect dementia". Many fans were angry that referee Urs Meier had disallowed a Sol Campbell headed "goal" in the last seconds of ordinary time. Judy Davies, standing on her front patio, her face still painted red and white with England's cross of St George, was incapable of discussing the incident without sounding unhinged. "That referee is supposed to be the best in the world. Well, he'd better never set foot in England. I'll lynch him with my own bare hands," she said. The best-selling Sun shared her view. "Robbed ... by reffin' half-wit" it blasted. PORTUGAL BETTER Some fans felt the team itself was partly to blame, looking lacklustre after teenage phenomenon Wayne Rooney was forced off the pitch with a foot injury midway through the first half. "In the cold light of day, we'll have to accept that Portugal looked the better side on the night," said Andrew Parkin, 32. "They had more possession and they were more dangerous. After Rooney went off we seemed to lose our organisation and dominance." English hearts also sank when captain David Beckham blazed his penalty over the bar. "Beckham was a pale shadow of his best. The press are going to crucify him, especially for that missed penalty," Parkin added. In fact, Beckham appears to have escaped censure in the media although not all players were so fortunate. Perhaps a little unfairly the Guardian said last Darius Vassell was the "villain" for missing his penalty. England's 4-2 victory over Croatia earlier this week was the most watched sporting event in British history. All the signs were that Thursday's match would set a new record. The country came to a complete standstill during the quarter-final as motorways and city streets were empty of traffic. Huge screens were erected in all major cities but the atmosphere deflated instantly and crowds quickly dispersed after the shoot-out. England's shock loss to France earlier in the tournament triggered running battles between police and fans, but this time there have been no reports of major disturbances -- everyone was far too depressed. the world.
