England fans left work early last night to watch the Three Lions defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in the World Cup round of 32 match in Atlanta, Georgia. The 5pm kick-off saw many fans slip away from their jobs to catch the action at watch parties across London and the US.
Early lead for DR Congo
The Leopards took an early lead when Brian Cipenga scored after seven minutes, leaving England fans anxious. England captain Harry Kane equalized in the 75th minute and then scored again in the 86th minute to secure the win, sparking relief and delight among supporters.
At a Wembley watch party, England fan Stuart Stevens, 36, called England's defence "shocking" at half-time. He said: "That was the best England that we had in a while, and they're playing crap together."
Fans find ways to watch
Sales boss Nathan Charles, 43, ensured he could leave work early for the daytime kick-off. He travelled to Boxpark Wembley from Liverpool Street at around 3pm with two colleagues. Standing next to them, he said: "I'm their boss and I said they could, which means I can."
Ellie Thompson and her business partner "gave themselves the time off" to secure a spot at the venue. Ms Thompson said: "Yeah we've taken a half day to come and see it." She added that they also have tickets to see Harry Styles perform at Wembley Stadium later, saying: "So we need it to not go into extra time and penalties so we can go in."
Nervous anticipation
Kev Tarpey, who left work early, said: "I live round the corner, so I left work, booked the tickets to get in here and there we are." He was nervous due to England's recent struggles to break opponents down, predicting a late 1-0 or 2-0 win.
Jaxson Bunman, an 18-year-old Australian wearing an England top, said: "You see how big England is with soccer and how much it means to the people and how the atmosphere's unreal." Insurance worker Jack Williams, 24, said his employer emailed staff to "finish up early" for the match, adding he was "happy" but "sceptical" about England's chances.
US-based fans optimistic
In the US, hopes were high. Andrew Whetton, 59, from Nottingham, predicted a 3-0 win for England. His sister Sally, 62, who lives in Atlanta, said: "I'm going to give them a goal. I'm going 4-1. A consolation goal just for showing up." Andrew added about the next round against Mexico: "Not so much for the next round. That could get interesting. They were a bit quick last night – but I think we can slow them down. We can drag them down to our level."
Trip of a lifetime
Shaun Rothhead described his US holiday, planned around watching England, as the "trip of a lifetime." He must return to England on Wednesday but said: "We must have been saving for eight years. I think we had about £21,000 between us. I don't think I'm bringing any change home."
The win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium sends England into a last-16 tie on Sunday against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.
