Joy in Cowdenbeath as 'Auld Enemy' are sunk

"It's a great shame. I feel really sorry for them, honest" grinned Stephen Henderson, a lorry driver from Fife, as he stood outside the ground of the only team in Scotland that has a claim to be "twinned" with the Brazilian national side.

There were few tears shed yesterday for the England side in Cowdenbeath. The 9,000-strong mining town, 10 miles north of the Forth Road Bridge, is a world away from South America, yet the second division side is proud of its nickname, "the Blue Brazil".

"Nobody really knows how we got the name, but it's been suggested it's because it is so cold in Cowdenbeath you have got to be nuts to watch them or because we wear blue and have the debt of a third world country," said Frank Dillon, the secretary of the 250-strong supporters club.

"Either way, we had to support Brazil against England – and what a result. I couldn't have wished for a better finish."

However, not everybody was against the "auld enemy". "Most people here might say they are against England, but the truth is I don't think anybody really cares," Margaret Brown said.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the mood was less placid, with fans buying so many Brazil shirts that they almost sold out. In Edinburgh, wild cheers erupted at Scotland's only Brazilian café after the South American favourites knocked England out of the World Cup.