27million watch victory on TV
ENGLAND’S victory over Denmark proved to be a historic TV blockbuster, hitting a peak audience of 27.6 million viewers.
The whopping figure made it the mostwatched football match ever shown on one channel in the UK.
Fans were on the edges of their seats up and down the country, watching the 2-1 win on ITV, ITV Hub and STV.
And among the celebrating supporters at the final whistle was an all-star line-up of celebrities, many of whom wrote messages of delight on social media.
Former England captain David Beckham was in the stands at Wembley for the game, and praised manager Gareth Southgate and his team afterwards.
He wrote on Instagram: “Big night tonight and proud to have been stood there watching Gareth and the boys make history.
“Hard fight to the end, but wow was it worth it. Well done boys and well done to the incredible fans in the stadium and around the country. What a night.”
Singer Adele shared a video of her wild celebrations at home, sparked by Harry Kane scoring the second goal.
The star let out a shriek when the goalkeeper stopped the Spurs forward’s initial penalty kick, but jumped around the room when he converted the follow-up.
She wrote on Instagram: “It’s bloody coming home.”
Singer Dua Lipa shared pictures from her watch party. The snaps showed a plate of biscuits on hand, and red crosses painted on her cheeks. Her caption said: “It’s coming home.”
Former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan shared an image of himself celebrating inside Wembley alongside the caption: “Boom!”
Spice Girls star Mel C said: “Wahoo! Come on England!What a game. So proud of those boys!”
In a tweet from Ant and Dec’s joint Twitter account, Ant McPartlin said he was “actually crying”. He added: “Well done lads.” Sarah,
Duchess of York, praised the Danes following the game and wished their midfielder Christian Eriksen a safe recovery after he collapsed during a match earlier in the tournament.
She tweeted: “Thank you Denmark for showing wonderful sportsmanship and humility. @ChrisEriksen8, we wish you a speedy recovery.”
TV chef Jamie Oliver labelled the performance “epic” in a post on Twitter.
Arrests
The Apprentice’s Alan Sugar said the result was “brilliant” and added: “Well done England.”
Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp shared a video of himself cheering at home after the final whistle.
Alongside the clip, he wrote: “Go on England.What a game! Roll on Sunday!”
Singer Robbie Williams also shared a picture of himself celebrating wildly.
Because of the pandemic, the vast majority of fans tuned in at home. But pubs and outdoor big screen fan sites were also full of joyous supporters.
Police said celebrations were mainly goodnatured. But in London, the Met confirmed that there had been 20 arrests.
The force said alleged offences included “common assault and assault on police”.
But such unrest was not widespread. Instead, there was a party atmosphere as fans poured into city centres across the country including London, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.
Some supporters in London’s Leicester Square climbed on top of a double-decker bus as they celebrated the win.The No 9 was forced to a stop. Several fans sat down on the roof, although one stood holding a St George’s flag aloft.
Excited supporters leaving the Boxpark fan site in Croydon, south London, said they felt “absolutely phenomenal”, with one describing the win as “the greatest moment of my life”.
Similar scenes are expected on Sunday night. The final between England and Italy kicks off at 8pm.