Sadness of England's World Cup Disgrace Is Evident on Prince Harry's Face—See Him React to Team's Scoreless Draw With Costa Rica

England hadn't exited a World Cup without winning a match since 1958

By Natalie Finn Jun 25, 2014 12:20 AMTags
Prince Harry, World CupCHP/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES

All the way down to Brazil to see...this.

Prince Harry was in the stands to watch England play for dignity, if not a place in the knockout round, in the 2014 World Cup today, his national team having come up short in its Group D matches against Italy and Uruguay (the latter of course forever to be the subject of scrutiny thanks to nibble-prone Luis Suárez's punishment-peppered track record coming into the tournament).

England hadn't played in a World Cup without winning at least one match since 1958 in Sweden, but that's exactly what happened this year.

After losing to Italy and Uruguay each by the score of 2-1, England already had no hope of advancing when it set out to battle Costa Rica today—but the team was hoping to score at least a goal, if not a symbolic victory.

Instead, England battled upstart Costa Rica to a 0-0 draw and ignominiously exited this year's World Cup after one of their worst-ever showings.

And that bummer of a match was written all over Prince Harry's face—or his hand, which was often shielding his face from view.

CHP/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES

National football hero Wayne Rooney even apologized to fans after the Uruguay match last week, writing, "Going into each game we had great belief in ourselves but unfortunately it hasn't worked out. Sorry to all the fans that travelled and at home that we haven't done better... gutted!"

Well, at least Harry made for a fine spectator in his smart blue suit. (And he of course wielded the usual handful of marriage proposals via signs hoisted by female fans in the crowd. No yeses, as far as we know.)

The 29-year-old royal, who's in the midst of a seven-day tour of Brazil and Chile, reportedly told FA chairman Greg Dyke that he was "really sad" to not see England advance.

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Harry was in better spirits before the match, when he visited with some pint-size soccer players at the Minas Tênis Clube in Belo Horizonte, where Britain's Olympic team will practice during the 2016 Summer Olympics in São Paolo, in support of the U.K.'s GREAT Campaign.

He posed with some very adorable superstar-athletes-in-the-making on their own pitch and even played goalkeeper while a few of the boys and girls took their best shots, surely making their collective day.