Millions of England fans up and down the country rejoiced and toasted their heroes into the night after the nation booked its place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 win over Senegal.
Goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka fired the Three Lions into the next round where Gareth Southgate’s side will face holders France on Saturday.
Thousands of fans packed into pubs to roar on England tonight in the nail biting knock-out clash and were euphoric at the full-time whistle.
An estimated 15 million pints were expected to have been sunk as they cheered on Kane and his team mates in Qatar for the hugely anticipated fixture.
England survived a first-half scare and had Jordan Pickford to thank for his save which stopped Boulaye Dia's close-range strike from nestling in the net.
And just moments later, Henderson swept home Jude Bellingham's timely pass to put the Three Lions in front six minutes before the half-time whistle.
Fans at the Croydon Boxpark in south London, some of whom were donning festive Santa hats and retro England shirts, roared and rose to their feet after the goal before bursting out in loud voice singing: “I am England until I die.”
The tense atmosphere among the regulars at The Eastney Tavern in Southsea, Hampshire, was broken by loud cheers with friends hugging each other at the bar as England scored their first goal.
Regular Joel said: “Thank goodness for that, I was expecting lots of goals, let’s hope for some more.”
And that's exactly what happened as Kane registered his first goal of the tournament in first-half injury time, finishing off a blistering counter-attack that was spearheaded by Bellingham and Phil Foden.
The St George’s flags which had been draped over the shoulders of some fans were raised in the air in celebration as the Three Lions led 2-0 at the break.
Saka then added a third three minutes before the hour mark to seal the win after Foden's dazzling run down the left-wing put the ball on a plate for the Arsenal star.
After the strike, one England fan wrote on Twitter: "Don’t underestimate the deliberateness of Saka in the finish for the third goal. The awareness to know to lift the shot and adapt his skill to the cross was first class."
Another was full of praise for midfielder Declan Rice, adding: "There's something wonderfully understated about Declan Rice. Doesn't get the plaudits like Bellingham, Saka, Foden etc but you can't underestimate just how important his discipline, control and ability to read the game is to this England side."
Many Santa hats were thrown into the air after England's third, and there was a burst of cheers and a chorus of “football’s coming home” which could barely be made out from the general screams of joy coming from the crowd at the Croydon Boxpark in south London.
In Southsea, pub regular Mark Ellinor is hopeful England can go the full way and said: “I think they have got it in them, they are a really strong side and we have a good chance of winning the whole thing.
“It was a bit of a slow start but I think we will progress.”
Another regular, John, added: “We got lucky in the first half. It hasn’t been the most exciting game but it’s a win, that’s what matters.”
Minutes before the final whistle blew, football fans were chanting “England, England” at south London’s Croydon Boxpark.
Confetti was released at the end of the game as supporters erupted into loud cheers, jumped together in celebration and punched the air.
Around 3,000 supporters had flown from the UK to watch the game live at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
But more than 21 million settled down in front of the TV with their families and friends for the round of 16 crunch match against the Africa Cup of Nations’ champions.
Many Fan Parks across the country put up “sold-out” signs ahead of the game, with supporters queuing in the early afternoon at centres in London, Manchester, Bristol, and Newcastle to watch the game on a big screen.
Bars were packed in towns and cities across England, including Hull, Huddersfield, Leeds and Nottingham.
And an estimated 20 million pints were also supped at home, making it the biggest Sunday for pubs and home drinking since the Euro 2020.
Supermarkets were hoping to take around £175million as shoppers stocked up on booze and food before the big game.
In Newcastle fans arrived from 3pm at the Fan Zone to get the best seats in the house.
Jayde Guy, 31, said: “We might not be in Qatar but we are still roaring the boys on.”
At the nearby Box Park, fans arriving from early afternoon were given ponchos to wear to avoid being soaked with booze hurled into the air after an England goal.
Before the game, Joe Vickers, 26, from Chester, said: “To be honest, I’ll take being showered with beer all night long because it’ll mean England are scoring.”
Senegal supporter Herbert Ngassa, owner of the Ivory Bar and Restaurant in Deptford, south London, had decked out his venue in green, yellow and red decorations to match the country’s flag.
And he said he planned to celebrate into the early hours regardless of the result.
Many workers have booked Monday off work to help them get over the big match.
Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, which monitors workplace absence, said: “Annual leave bookings are up, Monday’s sickness absence rate is expected to rise and more employees will also work from home on Monday.”
England’s World Cup journey has provided a huge boost for the under-pressure pub industry.
The hospitality sector reported an 11% increase in food and drink sales in pubs during the first week of the tournament.
Emma McClarkin added:“Pubs were hoping for a boost to business during this World Cup and so far the beer has been flowing, and fans have been showing up to cheer on England.
“The tournament has been filling up pubs on days that otherwise might be quieter, and we’re hoping that trend continues in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s been a tough year for our industry and we know people are feeling the pinch but we’re really hoping fans continue to turn out.”
The hospitality trade says the decision to hold the tournament during the winter has cost it an estimated £155 million in beer sales compared to a summer event.
Ben Stanford who runs The George & Dragon pub in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, said: “The lack of summer tournament football has resulted in lost revenue, as we would have been showing all of the home nations games.
“I’m not sure how the rest of the year is going to pan out – the impending increase in energy costs could result in the pub closing all together. With the current cost of living situation, I’m not sure we’ll make much extra by showing the football in December.”
