Things turned nasty quickly for Newshub correspondent Lloyd Burr, as England's Football World Cup hopes ended with a 2-1 loss to Croatia in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Assigned to cover the reaction at a London pub, Burr and his camera crew were a popular addition to the occasion, with England holding an early 1-0 lead.
But that mood changed dramatically as the game progressed and the Croatians took control, equalising late in regulation and snatching an extra-time winner to advance to their first-ever World Cup final.
- Watch the moment ecstatic fans lose it after Croatia go through to final
- Croatia beat England to reach final
- UK football fans react to England's defeat
With the final whistle imminent, Burr copped a beer in the face from a disgruntled patron, just as he crossed live to The AM Show.
"It's gone from jubilation to frustration, then anticipation... now it has turned to anger," he said, wiping the beer from his face.
"The English fans are very angry and the ref is just about to blow this final whistle - it is Croatia's game, I believe."
The patron made another lunge at Burr, but was eventually restrained from any further intrusion.
"Hey mate, be dignified," implored Burr.
The AM Show host Duncan Garner was concerned for the safety of his colleague.
"Can someone in England get around Lloyd and look after him," he said. "What a bunch of thugs."
Garner's concern was well founded. Even before the game, UK authorities were braced for a backlash of violence - both at home and in the streets - if England lost.
The National Centre for Domestic Violence launched a provocative campaign entitled 'If England gets beaten, so will she', with a poster depicting a woman's bleeding face.
"Mediaworks treats any attack on our staff extremely seriously," said Newshub head of broadcast news Richard Sutherland. "Lloyd and camera operator Simon Morrow handled themselves with the utmost professionalism, and continued to broadcast during a very trying situation.
"Everyone here is relieved that they are okay and it's a tribute to them that they carried on working as if nothing had happened. However it's unacceptable that reporting staff attempting to carry out their professional duties should be exposed to such thuggish behaviour.
"Anyone who decides to engage in a criminal assault because they're upset about the result of a sporting fixture needs to take a long hard look at themselves and perhaps reconsider their life choices."
Newshub.
