Fan-tastic

Millions 'work from home' to watch England's opener

- MARTIN FRICKER

ENGLAND came to a standstill yesterday as the Three Lions romped to victory over Iran in their World Cup opener.

Footie fans packed into pubs, bars and fan parks across the country as Gareth Southgate's men thrashed their Group B rivals 6-2 in Qatar.

An estimated 80% of workers avoided going into the office ahead of the lunchtime kick-off and opted to work from home or watch from home - instead.

A YouGov poll predicted that some 11 million were expected to take the day off "sick" in order to watch the game.

Many schools allowed youngsters to skip their usual lessons so they could watch the eagerly awaited clash.

Shopping centres and major roads were deserted as the nation's attention turned to events 4,500 miles away in Doha.