England football supporters face long trek to Bloemfontein after USA's win

England fans were today shaking off hangovers and tearing up their travel plans in a bid to watch Fabio Capello's side take on Germany on Sunday.

Thousands partied into the early hours in Port Elizabeth after watching Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe's goal send England into the World Cup knock-out stages.

But a victory for the United States meant that England only finished second in the group and will have to play their next match in Bloemfontein.

After the sunny splendour of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, England fans are set for a shock.

Bloemfontein is known for being largely unremarkable, miles from the sea and with few quality bars and restaurants to keep the supporters happy.

The locals are renowned for their passion for sport and England supporters will have to vie for space in the 45,000 capacity Free State Stadium.

Many fans had assumed the team would top a relatively weak group and play their next match in Rustenburg and booked flights, hotels and match tickets accordingly. They now face the prospect of having to splash out on new tickets, flights and accommodation to cheer their team on against Germany.

Many were racing today to work out their routes and get hire cars or secure the few remaining seats on planes.

Fans in England began booking flights to South Africa within minutes of England taking the lead. British Airways noticed a surge in bookings to Johannesburg and Cape Town at half-time.

A BA source said: "We saw a rise in bookings for flights to South Africa on Wednesday as the match was being played. But there are still some seats left on flights on Friday and Saturday."

Tim Pollitt, 32, a Londoner living in Sydney, said he and four friends were determined to make it from Port Elizabeth to Bloemfontein for England's crunch clash.

He said: "A few people have got sore heads today but we're all trying to work out how to get there. Where is Bloemfontein anyway?

"England never do it the easy way but we all thought we would sail through the group and be back in Rustenburg."

Imran Butt, 24, from Wembley said: "This has messed up my travel plans big time. I thought we would win the group easily and have now got tickets for USA against Ghana."

Meanwhile police in South Africa today issued more praise for the behaviour of England fans.

Port Elizabeth spokeswoman Miranda Mills said: "The England fans have been absolutely fantastic. They were a pleasure to have around."