England fans revelled in the chance to stay up all night as they watched Thomas Tuchel’s team beat Mexico in a match-up that proved to be worth every minute of lost sleep.
It was a game with a bit of everything as the Three Lions fought through one red card, two penalties, and countless Mexico attacks to book their place in the quarter finals.
There was early frustration after the match was postponed by one hour due to storms in Mexico City, but fans inside the Clapham Grand in south London were unfazed. “It’s going to mess up work tomorrow, but overall it’s not too bad,” 26-year-old Aaron Andrews said ahead of kick-off. “We’re all drunk anyway. As long as the boys bring it home, it’s fine.”
But thankfully the clouds cleared and at 2am, spectators’ eyes were glued to the screen as the two sides sized each other up at the iconic Azteca stadium.
If the first 20 minutes passed by fairly uneventfully, it was the only quiet part of the game. Just past the half-hour mark, England put themselves in an enviable position after a stunning brace from Jude Bellingham within the space of 90 seconds. But by half-time, Tuchel’s men had conceded one and looked like they were hanging on by their fingertips.
The turning point of the game could so easily have come at 53 minutes when Jarell Quansah was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo. But they were spared by a spurt of brilliance from Anthony Gordon, who secured them a penalty, which Harry Kane converted to restore their two-goal lead, leaving fans ecstatic.
The clock had passed 3am, but England fans showed no signs of flagging – even when Raul Jimenez’s penalty threatened to close the gap on them once more. Down to 10 men and facing a relentless Mexico attack, there was only one thing left to do – keep the ball out the back of the net.
It may have been agonising, but England fans were with their team every step of the way. At the Clapham Grand every tackle, header, heroic save, and desperate hoof was met with deafening applause. Anything to keep the seconds ticking by.
And after more than 11 torturous minutes of injury time, the whistle blew, England could breathe again, and every pub and bar erupted in ecstasy, breaking into “Sweet Caroline” in jubilation. It had seemed such a daunting task, but England had proved they were well up to it.
Spilling out onto the streets afterwards, Imogen Meade, 19, and Sophia Williams, 18, said staying up until 4am was “100 per cent worth it”.
“It was brilliant,” Ms Meade said. “I thought we were going to lose but I’m so glad the altitude didn’t affect us.”
They said the moment they’ll remember was the short minute between Bellingham’s two first-half goals, which they described as “insane”.
“I’ve got work in three and a half hours, but it was 100 per cent worth it,” Ms Williams said. “I’d never, never never have missed it.”
Ivan da Rosa, Kallai Beckford – both 19 – and Emmanuel Owusu, 18, said it was a night they’ll remember for “a long time”.
“It was proper entertaining,” Mr Da Rosa told The Independent. His favourite moment was Bellingham’s second goal, which he said was the turning point of the game.
“After that I knew England would win.”
Charlie, Fliss, Simon, and Adam, who did not give their surnames, all have the day off later and plan to spend it recovering from a tense but exciting night.
“The second half was so tense,” Fliss said.
“I thought we were underdogs going into the Azteca and with the altitude, but then we came out the gate and got two. Tuchel really knows how to manage a game like that,” Charlie added.
The group said they had been a bit irritated by all the to-ing and fro-ing with timings around the game, but that eventually staying up to watch it had been “absolutely worth it”.
As a beautiful summer’s day broke across the country, the dawn chorus sounded a little like a muddled medley of “Hey Jude” and “It’s coming home”, accompanying fans back to their beds for a precious few hours’ rest.
It may have been a long night, but it’s one that won’t be forgotten quickly.
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