Hopes were running high and the England shirts were out in force in the Fine City.
But at the Woolpack pub, in Golden Ball Street, fans' cheers were muted when Luis Suarez drilled his second goal of the night past Joe Hart.
It had been a tense second half, with rowdy chants of 'Rooney! Rooney' when England pulled level at 75 minutes.
Though England's defence could not contain Uruguay's talismanic striker, and with no points from two matches a World Cup exit now looks inevitable.
Jack Burton, 32, from Norwich, was watching the game at the Woolpack.
He said: 'I thought we played well and in any other group we might have got through, but unfortunately we had the toughest group,' he said. 'Clearly Suarez was the difference.
'I think we were the better team overall, but we didn't have that killer instinct.
'There weren't that many mistakes, and that's why it's so frustrating.'
Ben Gill-Davis, 27, of Norwich, said the 'smug' look on Suarez's face made the loss even harder to take.
'It's the same scenario as the Ronaldo wink,' he explained. 'It's so frustrating.'
Jamie Brook, 26, of Norwich, said he felt the team played well, but was saddened by the result.
England face Costa Rica next at 5pm on Tuesday, but if Italy and Costa Rica draw their match tomorrow, England will be eliminated.
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