Beers..cheers & tears

Fans sink 18m pints as England triumph 3-0

- MARTIN FRICKER and ADAM ASPINALL

ENGLAND and Wales came to a standstill last night as their heroes went head to head in the Battle of Britain.

An estimated 20 million TV viewers tuned in to the BBC to watch the crucial do-or-die World Cup match in Qatar.

Rush hour came early with workers clocking off to settle down and cheer on their teams.

Pubs and bars were packed as fans enjoyed the first-ever home nations World Cup clash in which England beat Wales 3-0.

An estimated 18 million pints were sunk as the crunch match took place at the 45,000-capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

Fans started queuing at lunchtime to get into Boxpark sites around London in Shoreditch, Wembley and Croydon. Venues with big screens in Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester also had huge crowds for the game.

England fans began boozing in Newcastle's legendary Bigg Market from 10.30am yesterday.

By kick-off time it was standing room only in the area's pubs as tension gripped the nations.

Steve Handley, 45, from Gateshead, said: "I was too nervous to watch on the telly at home. I needed to be with other fans.