BEER WE GO
Pubs run dry as 3 Lions unleash torrent of goals
ENGLAND fans drank bars dry yesterday as hat-trick hero Harry Kane and pals thrashed Panama 6-1 at the World Cup, qualifying for the last 16 with a game to go.
ENGLAND partied like it was 1966 last night after the Three Lions stormed into the World Cup’s last 16 with a steamy six-goal romp.
Fans supped 33million pints in a £150m day-long bender after watching boss Gareth Southgate’s heroes’ record-breaking 6-1 walloping of Panama in the searing 35C heat in Russia.
Captain fantastic Harry Kane blasted a hat-trick as England qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament with a match to spare.
That left him joint second highest all-time England World Cup goalscorer – alongside 1966 final-winning legend Sir Geoff Hurst.
Last night bookies were offering odds of 7-2 that Kane, who leads the race for the Golden Boot with five goals, will become Sir Harry within the next two years.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes made Kane favourite to finish top scorer cutting his odds from 11-2 to 6-4, while England winning outright went from from 10-1 to 9-1.
The victory triggered wild scenes of
celebration among the 2,500 supporters in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium and up to 25m watching on TV back home. England now play Belgium on Thursday to decide who will top Group G. Southgate later promised there was more to come from his team, while Kane described the performance as “fantastic” and said that he believed England could go all the way to the final. Joyous England supporters drank and sang long into the night in Nizhy Novgorod’s bar and restaurant-lined Bolshaia Pokrovskaia Street.
The combination of a Sunday lunchtime kick-off, hot weather and a big win saw pub beer gardens packed and at-home barbecues across Britain throughout the day. Experts reckoned 15m pints were necked in pubs and bar takings were expected to top £85m. Another 18m pints were downed at house parties across the country at a cost of £20m.
Fans spent another £20m on match food.
IT’S coming home!
England fans up and down the country packed into pubs and beer gardens to watch Gareth Southgate’s boys hit hapless Panama for six.
Hopes are rising that the Three Lions could win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 after captain fantastic Harry Kane helped himself to a hat-trick – only the third England player to achieve such a feat in the tournament’s long history.
A staggering 25million supporters enjoyed the superb action and the country’s boozers enjoyed their busiest ever day.
The doom-mongers will say “it’s only Panama” and “there are greater tests ahead” with Brazil and old foes Germany lurking as possible future opponents.
Now the country needs to get behind the lads for the final first round clash against Belgium that will decide who tops Group G.
Win or lose, the players are doing our country proud. Let’s say cheers to that!