Seaman - distraught at his error.

By Frank Malley, PA Chief Sports Writer, Shizuoka

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The tears when they came told one of the most desperate stories in sport.

And the sight of David Seaman, England's goalkeeper for more than a decade, a veteran of 73 appearances, a man who has given so much for his country, was enough to make a grown man cry.

At 38 Seaman almost certainly will never play for England again.

Such a distinguished career should not have to end in this fashion - in the concrete bowels of the Escopa Stadium surrounded by reporters, barely able to put together a coherent sentence because of the choking misery which enveloped him.

The irony would have escaped him but this was the only occasion Seaman had agreed to talk to the press on this six-week long adventure - and he simply couldn't.

Overcome by emotion. Overwhelmed by the crushing despair of the realisation that he had cost England the World Cup. A man who believed he had let down everyone who had risen early, skipped work, tuned in back home for the latest chapter of hype and hysteria which has accompanied England's World Cup adventure.

In the end Seaman managed to blurt out an apology to the nation before hiding his shame with a swift and disconsolate exit, but his torment told you he will go to his grave believing he should have saved Brazil's winning goal.

It is, of course, a complete nonsense. The 30-yard free-kick from Ronaldinho which swirled high and venomously into the top right hand corner of England's net was not an extravagant example of Brazilian magic.

It was not one of the great World cup goals, to rival Maradona and Jairzinho, one manufactured in the mind of a footballing virtuoso.

It was a pure fluke, a quixotic whim of nature which saw the ball skew off the side of Ronaldinho's boot, float on some vexed thermal on a shimmering afternoon in this steamy land and find its way somehow over Seaman's outstretched arm into the net.

Whether a younger man, such as David James, would have coaxed more elastic limbs to the ball we will never know. For the record James says he wouldn't.

Whether England's dream would still be alive if captain David Beckham had not bunny-hopped out of a sandwich tackle on half-time and allowed Brazil to race away to score their first and equalise Michael Owen's opener at such a critical stage is also a matter of conjecture.

What we do know is that for one of the first times during this intriguing and ever-unpredictable World Cup the best team won.

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, as honest as he has been meticulous, admitted as much. He could hardly do anything else considering England had been outplayed and outmanoeuvred for much of the second-half despite the numerical advantage of having 11 men against 10 after goalscorer Ronaldinho was harshly sent off for a foul on Danny Mills.

The truth is Eriksson's biggest fear came to haunt him this disappointing afternoon.

He was convinced England possessed a defence capable of repelling even the three-pronged threat of an attack comprising Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo - and the back four proved as accomplished as they have been all along in a tournament in which they have conceded just three goals in five games and in which Rio Ferdinand, in particular, has been outstanding.

He knew Michael Owen would prove a clear and present danger and so he did, his lightning speed taking him clear of the sloppy Lucio to give England the lead.

But the suspicion is he understood also that England did not have the creative talent to chase a game, that they lacked the necessary guile to really hurt high-class opposition.

If he didn't know that he knows now.

Because for all the plaudits which have come England's way in this World Cup none of them have been for their ability to treasure the football.

Too often in that last half-hour, when the game cried out for a Michel Platini, a Zinedine Zidane or a Paul Gascoigne, England turned to Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes - and for all their redoubtable characteristics the Manchester United pair are not purveyors of inspiration. They are not men who can pass all day and still have room for more.

The harsh truth is that England needed Beckham. They needed a flash of brilliance such as the one he conjured against Greece to reach these finals.

They needed their captain to seize the initiative as he had done in such spirited and single-handed fashion that October day.

They were desperate for his controlling influence. But if the captain puts hand on heart he will admit that in that final torpid half hour he failed to answer the call.

And perhaps that is the reason why England could not go the extra mile this time. Beckham, by comparison with his best, has been little more than a peripheral figure this tournament - psychologically essential, dangerous at set-pieces, but too short of match stamina after his broken foot to seriously hurt the opposition.

No team wins the World Cup without a mercurial figure. Nor should they. Which also in part is why Brazil deserved to take their place in a semi-final against either Turkey of Senegal.

For all their defensive shortcomings, though few were on show today in the second-half, Brazil still play fantasy football - the sort which thrills the soul and sets the heart pounding.

There is no shame in falling so deep into the tournament to such a side, though that realisation would be little comfort to players who could almost feel the polished sheen of the World Cup.

Neither is there disgrace in letting in a goal of such freakish nature - but try telling that to David Seaman tonight At the end, when England's players were trudging disconsolately to their coach at the start of the long journey back to family and friends, and a well earned holiday, Beckham made a passionate appeal for no-one to make Seaman a scapegoat.

Coming from a man who knows the pain of vilification after suffering so much following his own sending-off against Argentina four years ago his plea was timely and heartfelt.

It did nothing, however, to stem the tears.