NOT 2 BAD
Home crowds keep singing A rush on to get to Russia
sang 1998 World Cup anthem Vindaloo, was mobbed by fans at the Lord Raglan pub in Holborn, London.
Others packed into bars and city centre squares up and down the country to enjoy the match with hundreds of fellow England supporters.
In Manchester’s Bierkeller bar, fans were disappointed with the result – but still backing England to beat Colombia.
Builder Marvin Anderson, 30, from the city, said: “This whole game just reminds me how nervous I need to be about the rest of the tournament.
“The first good team we have come up against and we have lost.
“Things will improve when we get Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson back on the pitch. They are the leaders in this team.
Suzie Copple, a 34-year-old office manager from Sale, Gtr Manchester, said: “I love coming to places like this to watch the game. I need to be surrounded by the crowd. I can’t just be sat at home.
“It’s a shame it’s a bit flat at the end because the atmosphere at the start was amazing.
“I just hope the way the boys played tonight doesn’t dampen the spirit.”
At the New Inn pub in Harborne, Birmingham, fans predicted England could meet Belgium again. Robert Moore, 29, a sales analyst from the city, said: “To be honest though, this could be a rehearsal for the final.” Charlie Brooks, 27, a full-time student from Edgbaston, thinks England are still on the march to the final, despite the result: “We’re doing better than we’ve ever done before. “It’s so nice to see us playing better.” Dani Wright, 20, a student nurse from Birmingham, said: “It’s been tough but we can be proud.”
MILLIONS watched on TV last night as England finished second to Belgium – kicking off a travel rush to Moscow for the next round.
The 1-0 defeat meant Gareth Southgate’s team will face Colombia in the Russian capital at 7pm on Tuesday.
An estimated 5,000 Three Lions fans were at last night’s Group G decider in Kaliningrad but that figure could double next week with Moscow being much easier to reach.
The Spartak Stadium has a 45,000 capacity, and England are expected to be allocated around 3,000 seats.
But travel agents expect those who cannot get tickets will pack out fan parks just to say they were there.
James Pasquill, of BAC Sport, said it would have been much harder to get tickets to the remote southern city of Rostov-on-Don, where group winning Belgium will play Japan on Monday.
He said: “People were waiting to see where we finished. Moscow is obviously a lot easier to travel to for us.”
Travel trade body ABTA said there had been a rise in bookings due to “the warm welcome” fans have found in Russia.
Kevin Miles, of the Football Supporters Federation, which represents half a million fans, said: “We have seen around 5,000 for the Belgium game and there will be many who have booked for the later rounds.”
Fans planning to travel next week have been urged not to “spoil the party” if they plan a belated World Cup arrival.
It follows reports of England fans brawling in Gdansk, Poland, on Wednesday on the way to Kaliningrad.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said spotters witnessed a “minor scuffle” stopped by fellow supporters.
Chief Insp Joe Stokoe, said fans in Russia had “come here to enjoy themselves, respect the country, respect the hosts, be good guests and make the most of this fantastic experience.”
He added: “Don’t spoil all the good work done by English fans so far.”
Both England and Belgium had already qualified for the knockout stages before last night’s match.
But national pride was at stake when they lined-up in front of an estimated UK TV audience of 20 million.
Many people rushed home from work to sit down and watch with their families as England made eight changes to their starting line-up.
Comic Keith Allen, who in Fat Les