Heartbreaking, Isn't It

1 July 2006 England 0-0 Portugal - World Cup Quarter-final
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

BBC - England lost skipper David Beckham to injury just after half-time and Wayne Rooney was sent off after 62 minutes for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho. They battled on bravely for the rest of normal time and extra-time with 10 men to take the game to a shoot-out. But Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher missed to end their hopes and Sven-Goran Eriksson's reign.

[Rooney's red card]
BBC - Rooney was battling to keep possession from three Portugal defenders when the trouble erupted. He seemed to be pulled back by Carvalho, and then trod on his opponent's groin as the Chelsea defender was on the floor trying to win the ball. Carvalho reacted dramatically and Ronaldo sprinted to the referee, apparently to demand a red card. Rooney turned to Ronaldo and pushed him away. Television pictures appeared to show Ronaldo winking towards the Portugal bench as Rooney made his way off.

Beckham: "I haven't even seen the incident on TV. But I do know that ten seconds before there were two players on his back. If the referee had seen that he couldn't have sent him off."

Gerrard: "Wayne had been fantastic for us. He has done so much for the team. I haven't seen the incident, but I'll give him a big hug because I love him. He'll get not blame from us. There were three men around him before the sending-off."

Alan Shearer: "I think Wayne Rooney should go back to the Manchester United training ground and stick one on Ronaldo."

Eriksson: "I think that you, much more than me, need Wayne Rooney. He is the golden boy of English football, so don't kill him. If he did it with intention or not, leave it - you need him for the qualification games and to win Euro 2008. I have no hard feelings. I spoke to Wayne after the game and he had no intention to do it."
[The Heartbreak]
Carra: "We are just totally devastated and are incredibly disappointed. We have missed a chance that only comes around once every four years, and to lose like that is heartbreaking."
"We believe we are better than a last eight team, but until we do something you can't say you are."

Beckham: "There are a lot of young lads in the dressing room and there is a lot of heartache at the moment. It has ended for the team in this competition, but they will come through it and pick themselves up."

Rio Ferdinand: "We deserved to win today. They never looked like scoring a goal although they had a lot of shots from outside the box - but they won the game. We didn't falter with 10 men. Even with 10 men we were the team who created the best chances."

[MOM - Hargreaves]
Carra: "Owen Hargreaves was outstanding. I thought his energy levels were unbelievable. He was the best player on the pitch. He's had a lot of criticism and I was pleased for him."

Having suffered abuse from England fans unfamiliar with the Bayern Munich player, Hargreaves was happy that they ended the game singing his name.
Hargreaves: "I think it was great they were singing. But I can't take anything positive from tonight because we went out."

[Beckham quits as skipper]
With tears in his eyes, the former Manchester United player said: "On 15 November 2000 Peter Taylor gave me the greatest honour of my career in making me the captain of England, fulfilling my childhood dream.
"It has been an honour and a privilege to have captained our country and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can." [more of his statement]