ROARSOME! ENGLAND’S HOT START
Euros win in blazing sun is perfect tonic for fans after year of lockdown misery
AFTER months of lockdown, millions of jubilant fans celebrated on a scorching day as England won their first game of the Euros yesterday.
Supporters hugged each other and leapt for joy in pubs and fan zones across the country after the Three Lions beat Croatia 1-0 at Wembley.
Some 22,500 fans were allowed into the stadium to watch winger Raheem Sterling slot home the winning goal.
Manager Gareth Southgate – who wasn’t wearing his famous World Cup waistcoat – pumped his fist in their air as England started the Euros with a win for the first time.
Fans chanted Southgate’s name and sang Football’s Coming Home. The WAGs got in on the act too, with five posing for photos wearing denim shorts and England shirts emblazoned with the name of their husband or boyfriend.
But the day was marred when a fan was seriously injured after falling from a stand just after kick-off at Wembley. Horrified witnesses saw the man fall over a barrier and land on a concrete walkway. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
One England fan said: ‘ We saw his legs go over the barrier and then he fell and hit the ground and didn’t move. It seemed to take staff ages to get to him. One guy near us who saw the whole thing was crying his eyes out.’
From Newcastle to Weymouth, football fans forgot about the woes of the pandemic and basked in the sunshine and the glow of victory.
Summing up the mood of the nation, Southgate said: ‘ It’s a lovely day for the English public. We’ve waited a long time for the beer gardens to open and I’m sure they’re throwing [beer] everywhere as well as drinking it.
‘It was a big occasion, a sweltering hot day and the players settled really quickly.’
Manchester City star Sterling, who was made an MBE last week for promoting racial equality in sport, was given a standing ovation as he left the field.
He said: ‘It’s a great feeling for me playing at Wembley, not far from where I grew up as a young boy. You have to be excited to be in front of your home fans.
‘You have people behind you and supporting you.’ Former England footballer Alex Scott said the return of the crowds was a ‘massive’ moment.
‘We feel like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and we’ve won the golden ticket,’ she said. ‘To actually be here, the atmosphere, the fans, the sunshine. I’m only missing my England shirt and maybe a cheeky shandy.’ Former England cricketer Monty Panesar, who was also at Wembley, added: ‘This is the time everyone needs to unite as a nation and support England.’
The Three Lions will next play Scotland at Wembley on Friday, knowing that a win will secure qualification to the next round.
Hundreds of key workers were invited to a fan zone in Trafalgar Square in central London to thank them for their service during the pandemic. Raj Bassi, 46, a Transport for London worker, said: ‘The sun is out, the football is on, and the beers are flowing, and it’s great to be here.’
Rosie Baldock, 26, an emergency resource dispatcher for the London Ambulance Service, said the invitation was recognition for ‘how hard we’ve been working’.
Christopher Waters, 46, an NHS transformation manager, came along with his 11-year- old son, Liam. ‘It’s been very hot but we have so enjoyed coming out here,’ he said. ‘For England to win, it’s a perfect start to the tournament and I can’t wait for the rest of it.’
‘The beers are flowing’