ENGLAND MAKE US ROAR WITH PRIDE
Fans’ ecstasy... and agony
ENGLAND fans saw their World Cup dreams lie in tatters last night – but still declared Gareth Southgate’s team heroes for lifting the nation’s spirits.
An evening of rollercoaster emotions ended in defeat after the biggest TV audience of the year – up to 37million – watched on big screens and in pubs, as well as at house parties across the country.
An extra-time winner for Croatia after England had led 1-0 in the first half meant the wait for World Cup success since 1966 continues.
Supporters who had stayed at home for the early stages of the tournament decided they wanted to share the occasion with the biggest gathering in London’s Hyde Park.
A crowd of 30,000 fans watched The Lightning Seeds perform a rousing rendition of their football anthem Three Lions before kick-off. Big screens had also been put up in Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol and Brighton.
Soldiers from the Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan were also watching, as were England fans in the Cat And Fiddle pub in Hollywood
The footage, posted on the official @ GrenadierGds Twitter account, shows soldiers in camoflauge fatigues leaping around when England netted.
Patriotic
Fans wore England shirts, draped themselves in St George’s Cross flags, donned facepaint, and dyed their hair to show their patriotic support.
Keith Allen, who wrote the lyrics for 1998 World Cup song Vindaloo, was seen crowd-surfing in a London bar.
When Kieran Trippier put England ahead in the sixth minute, fans all over the country were singing “It’s coming home”, the tune which sent comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel to the top of the charts. Trippier’s superb free-kick goal led to about 50,000 pints being thrown in the air.
After England’s first-half domination the second-half grew increasingly nervy with England’s slender lead coming under growing threat, before a Croatian equaliser had millions holding their heads in their hands.
The disappointment turned to agony when Croatia went ahead in extratime and the final whistle was met with silence...and tears. England now face a play-off match to decide third and fourth place on Saturday.
Even Prime Minister Theresa May, who exchanged football shirts with the Croatian prime minister at the Nato summit, had been caught up in the football fever. She summed up the mood of the nation when she said: “Gareth Southgate and the boys have done a fantastic job.”
Captain Harry Kane told ITV viewers: “We can hold our heads up high.”