LONDON, June 22: A “crying shame” summed up the reaction of the English media Saturday after the 2-1 defeat by Brazil in the quarterfinals.

“It all ends in tears,” said the front page of the Daily Mail alongside a picture of Beckham and Seaman.

“Seaman says sorry to England,” read a banner headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph.

Seaman “sobbed his way into possible international retirement”, said the Telegraph after he misjudged a 35-yard free-kick from Ronaldinho, who was later sent off for fouling England’s Danny Mills.

“I just want to say sorry to the fans, sorry to the people I’ve let down today,” Seaman, 38, said.

“Going...going...gone,” read the headline on the front page of the sports section in The Independent, above three step-by-step pictures of Seaman struggling in vain to stop Ronaldinho’s shot going into the England net.

The Independent suggested that Seaman had only provided an “easy scapegoat for collective failure”.

“Too many players seemed afraid to take responsibility. They would approach an opponent, check out and pass both buck and ball,” read the Independent’s match report.

One or two newspapers chose to focus on the prospects for England’s young team rather than to look back.

“Wait till next time,” read a headline in The Times referring to the 2004 European championship and the 2006 World Cup in Germany.—Reuters