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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Chiara Fiorillo

World Cup fans vent frustration after England fails to score in Qatar face-off with US

Football fans vented their frustration tonight after England failed to score during its latest World Cup match.

Excited crowds of footie-mad Brits gathered in pubs around Britain to support the England team as it faced USA at the Qatar World Cup.

Ahead of the 7pm kick-off time, fans met their friends and family to support Gareth Southgate's team from home.

Last week, England erupted in celebrations as the team won its opening World Cup match against Iran.

Fans hoped to celebrate again tonight, but some were left disappointed by the 0-0 result.

This afternoon people began gathering for drinks with friends hours ahead of the match against the United States.

England fans enjoy a beer in Newcastle ahead of tonight's World Cup match (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

Fans holding the England flag smiled as they waited for the match to begin.

Supporters enjoyed the build-up to tonight's World Cup match while drinking a beer at Central Park in Newcastle.

England and USA fans were also seen together at a pub in Detroit, Michigan, donning flags of their countries as they smiled together.

Fans looked excited ahead of kick-off (Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock)

Others got the party started at the Red Lion pub in London, where a fan was pictured wearing an England flag as his outfit.

Popular venues for fans to watch the match tonight were Boxpark venues in London, including the one in Croydon and another one in Wembley.

In Manchester, some fans partied and danced before watching the game on the big screen.

Supporters enjoy the atmosphere in Manchester (Getty Images)

Huge crowds gathered at Road to Victory, Europe's largest World Cup fan park at Mayfield Depot.

Thousand of people also gathered at the official FIFA fan zone in Tottenham Court Road, central London.

The atmosphere was upbeat and buzzing as loud music played from DJ decks onstage by the main screen.

A fan wearing an England wig and holding a drink supports the team (Paul Currie/REX/Shutterstock)

Members of the crowd wore Budweiser bucket hats which were handed out for free and drank from plastic Budweiser cups.

Some were wearing England shirts or had flags draped around their shoulders.

One man in the crowd could be spotted in head-to-toe USA-themed clothes.

A huge number of supporters gathered to watch the match in London today (PA)

At half-time, some people looked a bit frustrated as England did not score but they didn't lose heart and kept supporting their favourite them until the end of the match.

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman joined fans in central London and said it is "quite right" that the team take the knee before each game.

Seaman said: "It is quite right. We have shown as a group that we can support things like this."

Some fans were a little frustrated at half time (Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock)

On whether the controversy around the host country Qatar is distracting from the football, he said: "It has a bit and quite rightly so as there is some real issues.

"The World Cup is about football is about football," he said, adding that people are "settling" into the matches now.

Seaman described the atmosphere at the Fifa fan zone as "brilliant".

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman joined fans in central London today (PA)

On the support from fans, he said: "Just keep supporting England. It means so much to players."

He said he is "confident about the team's ability to take home the cup, adding: "England are a really good team now."

Dozens of USA supporters joined the crowds of England fans at the Fifa fan zone in central London to watch the game.

Football fans support the team during the game (Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock)

Shawn Kelly, 29, from Boston, said: "It's been a lovely experience. Everyone has been very friendly. We have a lot in common. There's a lot of camaraderie."

Thomas Borland, 32, from Washington DC, who came to the UK just to watch the World Cup, joked that he felt "slightly" out of place in the crowd.

But he added: "There is nowhere else I'd rather be. This is is what it's all about."

Huge crowds watched the match around Britain (EMPICS Entertainment)

Collin Gibson, 47, who lives in Tunbridge, but was born in North Carolina, said he was torn over which team to support with his family all supporting the US team.

"I think I want England to win, I think," he said. "If England wins I'll be very happy, if America wins I'll be ecstatic."

The England team received a boost ahead of today's game as Harry Kane was declared fit to play following an injury scare against Iran.

Fans watching the World Cup match between England and USA at Box Park Wembley (Getty Images)

The last time England faced the USA was in the 2010 World Cup, drawing 1-1 in their Group Stage clash.

Southgate said before today's game: "We have to try to make history. We are good at talking highly of ourselves as a nation on the basis of very little evidence.

"We will play a highly motivated team and have huge respect for our opposition.

Some fans were disappointed as their team didn't score (PA)

"We know the quality they have and we will have to be at our best.

"The risk is to think that because we played well the other day we can take it into the next game.

"I don't think we will underestimate the USA team at all."

A fan wearing an England outfit raises a glass for the team (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

Today, World Cup host Qatar was the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after losing two games.

The tournament hosts slipped to a second successive defeat in Group A on Friday, losing 3-1 to Senegal despite a spirited effort.

That loss came after they were beaten by Ecuador 2-0 in their group opener on Sunday and leaves them with no chance of qualifying for the knockout phase after Ecuador and the Netherlands played out a 1-1 draw.

Crowds at Road to Victory, Europe's largest World Cup fan park at Mayfield Depot (Getty Images)

Qatar does still have one final game to come on Tuesday, though even if they managed to pull off a shock win over Netherlands, they can only finish on a total of three points, which is not enough to catch their group rivals.

England opted to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community by lighting up the Wembley arch in rainbow colours rather than protest in Qatar.

The Three Lions' players did not follow Germany's lead by making an on-pitch protest against Fifa before their World Cup clash with the United States at the Al Bayt Stadium, north of Doha.

England supporters at Central Park in Newcastle (North News & Pictures Ltd northnews.co.uk)

Instead, the Football Association instead sent an off-pitch message of support via the national stadium in north London.

Germany's players covered their mouths during a team photo ahead of their 2-1 defeat against Japan to show "Fifa is silencing us" by shutting down attempts to wear rainbow-coloured armbands connected to the OneLove campaign.

Several LGBT+ supporters have opted not to travel to the tournament in a country where homosexuality is still illegal.

England fans at Boxpark Croydon tonight (Steve Reigate)

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the disciplinary action the team could have faced from Fifa for wearing the armband was "unlimited" and suggested they came under pressure from the governing body at late notice.

Carl Fearn, co-chairman of Gaygooners, Arsenal Football Club's supporters group for LGBT fans, said: "This is a welcome, but small, gesture by the FA.

England fans cheer on their team at the 4TheFans Fan Park at Love Factory, Manchester (PA)

"It would, though, have had far more meaning if Fifa and Qatar had lived up to their promise of a warm welcome for all and allowed it to happen in Qatar rather than thousands of miles away in England.

"We recognise and appreciate the England team and the Wales team are on the side of LGBT+ football fans.

"Being prevented from showing their support in Qatar for all the OneLove causes is shameful."

England fans ahead the match at the Al Bayt Stadium (PA)

England fan Jim Noyce, 59, from Rugby, speaking ahead of the group B game with the US on Friday, said: "I think they'll bide their time and pick the game they're going to do it.

"Germany are playing Spain on Sunday, I think they'll wear the rainbow and if Germany do, I think England will follow."

England and USA fans prepare to watch the game in a bar in Detroit (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Russell Dodd, 53, from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, added: "I think football is football, sport is sport, and politics is politics.

"It seems to be we want to put our arm up and say we're going to do this, we're going to do the other, and when it comes to doing it, it doesn't quite happen.

"So what's the point in doing it to start with if you're not going to fully commit?"

Fans are excited for tonight's game (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

Seven European nations, including England and Wales, had hoped to wear the armband as part of a year-long OneLove anti-discrimination campaign in Qatar.

But they abandoned those plans when FIFA threatened them with sporting sanctions, which started with a yellow card for the captains wearing them.

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