Fans rejoice as England advances

Updated: Saturday June 15, 2002 10:48 a.m. ET

From Sports Illustrated • Grant Wahl: New breed of U.S. player • Wahl Insider: A good bad day • S.L. Price: No rest for the weary Features • 91st Minute: Germany survives • Snell: Serious spending • Almanac: U.S.-Mexico History • World Cup Hall of Fame: Top 100 • Scores | Schedules and Standings From Soccer America • Woitalla: Korea paves the way • Archive: Coverage from Korea From World Soccer • Hamilton: Stop the madness • Archive: Subscribe to World Soccer From CNN.com • French coach asked to meeting • Special Coverage: CNN.com Europe From Time.com • World Cup Weblog • Full Coverage: Insight from Korea/Japan Multimedia • Photo Gallery: A fine first week

LONDON (Reuters) -- London was swathed in a sea of white and red English flags on Saturday as the country's football team put opponents Denmark to the sword and secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Fans packed Trafalgar Square in the centre of the city, singing and chanting noisily after England effectively wrapped up their first match in the knock-out stages of the tournament within 45 minutes.

The scenes were repeated around the country after the 3-0 victory which prompted some bookmakers to quote England as low as 7-2 second favourites to lift the trophy.

Micky Kenny, 23, watching the game from a north London pub, said the whole country would be bursting with pride. "We are on top of the world. This means everything to us. The whole country has gone football crazy," he told Reuters.

"Oh I love this game," shouted 18-year-old Chantal Janger while serving customers in a London kitchenware shop after England's third goal. She didn't let the fact she was working stop her from screaming and then crying for joy.

The streets were unusually quiet for a Saturday during the match, the tranquillity punctuated by cheers from indoors each time England scored. The street outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's official residence was no exception.

GREAT PERFORMANCE

"The Prime Minister watched the game from his flat in Downing Street and was thrilled by the result," a spokesman said. "It was a great performance by the whole team."

British troops serving in Afghanistan were also able to watch the game live on TV.

A fifth minute goal by Rio Ferdinand, which set the tone for the match, prompted the first yells of approval in pubs and homes across the country.

If the cheering was more muted by the time that Michael Owen drove home another 17 minutes later and Emile Heskey a third just before the halftime break its was only because fans had shouted themselves hoarse.

"It was a non-event of a second half," fan Andrew Simpson said after watching the match from his south London home. "They just defended. They won the game in the first half. It was easy after that."

Saturday's victory looks like leading the English on to a vastly more demanding quarter-final appointment, assuming tournament favourites Brazil beat Belgium.

Simpson forecast: "The whole nation will expect us to win, but it's going to be a really tight game I guess.

"Who should we fear? Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, anyone whose name begins with an "R." Anyone in a yellow shirt I guess."

Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.