Fans packed into The Retreat in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, for England's World Cup clash against Mexico, belting out the song 'Don't Take Me Home' as they spilled onto the pavement at 4am. Many had little intention of going to work hours later, with some admitting they had planned to call in sick.
Packed pub despite early kick-off
The pub, usually quiet, was filled with over 300 supporters for the 2am kick-off. Landlords had feared a storm delay might deter customers, but a sold-out sign was posted on social media by 6pm. The last time England played at such an ungodly hour was in 2002.
Josh Somers, 21, calculated he would have only three hours of sleep between Saturday morning and Monday night after work. 'It's my first day back at my old job tomorrow, my ex will be there and it's going to be a big challenge,' he said. 'In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea to go out drinking on Friday and Saturday, but it is the summer and we did go to Inferno's in Clapham.'
Fans plan to skip work
Isaac Francis, 21, vowed to go into work 'whatever the result' but admitted: 'I'm only going because my boss said he would buy me a Maccies breakfast if I didn't throw a sickie.'
Regular Fraser Marks, an airport logistics operator, had a different strategy. 'I'm probably one of a million people who asked to take leave at very short notice, and then tried to un-do it when they found out about the plan to move the kick-off forward,' he said. 'My boss was brilliantly flexible, so I won't be getting up at 7am like many in here. If you don't ask, you don't get.'
England's historic win
England defeated Mexico 3-2, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice and Harry Kane netting again. The win silenced the boos from the Azteca 'cauldron' and secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals. Fans celebrated the result as one of the greatest England performances in living memory.
Keir Starmer's decision to remove the requirement for pubs to apply for special council permissions to open into the small hours was praised by landlords. For many pubs, it was likely their best day of the year.
