.England lost their World Cup semi-final match to Japan 2-1 last night
.Defender Laura Bassett knocked the ball into her own net in the last minute
.She was later trolled on Twitter before thousands showed their support
.Her brother came into the changing room after the game to comfort her
The England women's team player who scored an own goal in the last minute of the World Cup semi-final was comforted in the changing room by her older brother.
Laura Bassett was left devastated after she tried to clear a cross in the last minute of England's semi-final with Japan, only to see the ball fly off of her foot and into her own net, making the score 2-1.
Team bosses allowed her older brother Daniel, who had been in the stands watching the game, to speak to her after she was seen in floods of tears as she exited the pitch.
Her brother, 36, later tweeted: 'Have always been immensely proud of my sister. What I saw today only increases that. Love you our kid #ProudOfBassett'
Laura Bassett was left heartbroken after she scored a freak own goal in the final minute of England's World Cup semi-final with Japan, which meant they lost 2-1
Following the final whistle, Bassett broke down and had to be comforted by her teammates
Bassett, 31, who had one of the team's star players in previous games, put the ball in her own net in the final minute of injury time when the ball cannoned off her foot and looped over keeper Karen Bardsley.
As the final whistle blew, Bassett collapsed in tears and was helped away from the pitch and waiting cameras by her teammates.
Her mother, Marie, said today: 'They actually let him into their changing rooms to offer his support to her. He just said she was very upset. I thought she was having an absolute great game. What happened at the end was just devastating.'
Mrs Bassett, 61, said her daughter has rarely scored own goals in her career, which started when she joined a local team aged just eight.
Mrs Bassett said: 'I have not spoken to her yet. We watched it here on our telly. I was just here with my husband. It was devastating.
The mother-of-two, whose husband Keith, 61, works in the aerospace industry, added: 'They have got a game on Sunday so she will bounce back.
'It was a mistake. It was the worst kind of mistake. It was a fluke. I hope it will make her stronger.
'She has dealt with knock-backs before, as all of the players have. I think you have got to have knock-backs to move forward. It will hurt her for a while.
'She starts the new league next week. She has a cup final at Wembley. She is straight back into it. And of course she has a game on Saturday, for the third and fourth place.'
Bassett's older brother, Daniel, was allowed into the changing room after the match to comfort his sister
Her brother also joined the thousands tweeting the hashtag #proudofbassett this morning
Daniel, who works as a football coach in Texas, USA, spoke to her after the game. Her mother, Marie, says she'll bounce back from the disappointment
After the defeat, Bassett was sent expletive-filled messages on Twitter, with trolls branding her 'useless' and one claiming she had 'let her country down'.
One fan, who has set up a fake Twitter account in the name of Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, tweeted: 'Congratulations to Laura Bassett who was officially voted Scotland's favourite female footballer today.'
But top figures from the game quickly came out in defence of Bassett and hundreds of Twitter users sent her messages of support using the hashtag #proudofbassett.
England coach Mark Sampson said after the game: 'Look, Laura Bassett's name's on that scoresheet but she's epitomised this England team this tournament.
'She's been courageous, strong and kept this team together. She didn't deserve that but she'll be looked upon as a hero, an absolute hero. People will remember the Laura Bassett who headed and blocked and tackled and kept this team together.'
Midfielder Fara Williams added: 'Laura feels she's let everybody down but I'll tell you now, that girl has given everything in this tournament and she should be proud of herself.'
Trolls mocked her after the goal, with a fake account set up in Gordon Strachan's name posting this message
A number of figures from the world of football later tweeted their support, including teammate Casey Stoney, England legend Gary Lineker and US star Landon Donovan
Hundreds of sympathetic fans also took to Twitter to show their support for Bassett and her team, who have exceeded expectations to reach the tournament's semi-finals.
England teammate Casey Stoney tweeted: 'If anyone did not deserve that today it was @laurabassett6 she is the most honest, hard working, professional who is an amazing team mate!!'
Gary Lineker added: 'What a dreadful way to lose! Poor, poor Laura Bassett. Despite the gut-wrenching nature of the defeat, England's women were terrific and should hold their heads high. Great effort!'
US footballer Landon Donovan wrote: 'Absolutely devastated for @laurabassett6 We all make mistakes and I hope she doens't let this define her.'
The women's team had hoped to make it their first time in the final following performances which have shown up the perennially disappointing men's team.
Wins against Mexico, Colombia, Norway and hosts Canada have seen interest in the women's game soar and led to hopes that more young girls back home will now take up the sport.
More than two million fans stayed up into the early hours to watch England's semi-final match last night, making it one of the most watched women's games in national history.
Rather than divert the ball wide, Bassett managed to chip keeper Karen Bardsley, with the ball coming down off the crossbar and over the line, sending reigning champions Japan into the final against the USA
Distraught: Looking up from the astroturf, this is the moment Bassett realised she had inadvertently knocked England out of the World Cup
Team manager Mark Sampson praised Bassett's effort during the tournament, calling her 'an absolute hero'
But despite a strong performance, the women were unable to get past reigning champions Japan and will now face Germany in a third-fourth place play-off.
Bassett recently spoke about how much she had been enjoying the tournament, telling The Guardian: 'We're in a bubble. We've been together here for six weeks now... it's like being in the Big Brother house.
'We're used to seeing Premier League players in the newspapers, so when we were shown a collage of front- and back-page stories from home about us it was a bit of a shock. We were like: "Look at our faces, look at our hair, we look a right state.".'
Born in Bulkington, Warwickshire, she joined Bedworth girls football team aged nine, before moving to Coventry City to play in the Premier League North while still at school.
In 2000, while undertaking a scholarship at Loughborough University, she joined the Birmingham City women's team, rising through the ranks to become their captain.
A stand-out player for the England under 19s team, she made her senior debut in 2003 during a game against Italy, initially playing in midfield, despite playing a centre back for her club.
Teammate Jo Potter pushed television cameras away as players struggled to come to terms with their defeat
Sampson said after the match that Bassett had been a one of the team's best players in the tournament, and said she had not deserved to be the reason England lost
Fans and pundits have said Bassett has been one of England's best players in the tournament
While establishing herself as a permanent fixture in the international team, she moved to Arsenal Ladies in 2008, before leaving for Leeds the following season, helping them with the Premier League.
Her first World Cup appearance came in 2011 when she was substituted on for Ellen White in the final minute of England's 2-0 victory over Japan.
She played in the 2013 Euros before World Cup qualification matches saw her become one of England's most capped players in 2014, now with a total of 54.
Before yesterday's game Bassett had tweeted fans to say: 'Ready to go now @FIFAWWC Semi Final! Feeling recovered, prepped and fully fuelled!! Thank you so much.'
Yesterday's result was a cruel end to a great run of form by the Lionesses, whose results and attitude has been praised by Prince William, President of the Football Association, and men's players Wayne Rooney and David Beckham.
The Prince also phoned the team yesterday morning last night and wished them luck ahead of the match.
The 'Lionesses', as they are known, have won praise from many top figures, including Prince William
Through his Kensington Palace Twitter feed, The Duke of Cambridge tweeted yesterday: 'You are proving you are one of the best teams in the world and really making history.
'There is a fantastic buzz around the country. Everyone is following your progress and you are making the country proud.
'Enjoy the game. We all have every faith in you & and thanks for giving us another excuse to stay up late and watch more football!'
Speaking after the game, England captain Steph Houghton added: 'There's no words to describe it. I'm so proud of all the girls and staff. We've been on an amazing journey.
'That's football. It can be cruel at times but I think we can hold our heads high and pick ourselves up to go face Germany on Saturday.
'We want to try to finish third if we can, and we've gave a good account of ourselves throughout the tournament. Thanks of much for the support. It just wasn't to be today.'
England will now face a game against Germany next week to decide third and fourth place in the tournament, while Japan will face the USA at the final in Vancouver.
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