England's time to party

A huge cheer rang out in the Sports Cafè in central London as the final whistle blew on England's match against Nigeria. Fans jumped for joy and hugged each other, shouting and singing as they showed their delight. Seconds later, as news of Argentina's elimination from the tournament filtered through, another crescendo of noise came.

Inside the bar, at Haymarket near Piccadilly Circus, the sound was deafening as fans jumped around waving their arms singing in celebration.

Outside, where 20 or 30 people had gathered to watch the last few minutes, there was more singing and dancing.

In a scene repeated in bars throughout London and the rest of the country, hundreds of fans had descended on the cafè to drink beer and chant rather than have breakfast and go to work.

Once the final whistle had been blown about half of the people in the bar left immediately, heading for work rather than taking the day off. Inside, the celebrations continued, with people wrapped in England flags and wearing hats and looking set to continue the party all-day long.

They weren't alone. The children of Dollis Junior School roared themselves hoarse as they cheered on England- - on the one day of the year their head teacher ordered them to shout as loudly as possible.

About 200 pupils, parents and teachers packed a classroom of the school in Mill Hill to watch the game and feast on a special matchday breakfast of sausage and egg buns, followed by yoghurt. Using their lunchboxes as drums, the children pounded out their own soundtrack and screamed - under the direction of their head Derek Heasman.

Mr Heasman organised the festivities because he felt his pupils would be "deprived" if they missed out. But there was also a less selfless motive. "I admit I did want to watch it myself," he said.

All in all, a wet Wednesday morning had never felt so special. England was turned upside down once again as David Beckham led his team into a breakfast-time battle with Nigeria. But while the England players were worrying about stifling heat and humidity in Osaka, millions of Londoners were feeling strangely jet-lagged and wondering whether it was really a good decision to have a pint of lager when they would normally be brushing their teeth.

Last Friday's win over Argentina saw the longest lunchtime turn into an unexpected street party as people poured out of packed pubs to stop the traffic. Today, World Cup 2002 became even more surreal as bosses laid on breakfast, rush hour was postponed and pubs and bars were throbbing from 7am.

Bookies opened early to catch some of the £10 million action riding on the outcome of today's match - including the punter in Twickenham who risked £75,000 on England qualifying in pursuit of a profit of under £4,000. This was a game when the pre-match tactics were almost more complicated for the fans than the players. Some had booked the day off or opted to watch at home and get to work late, others got in early for footie in the office with breakfast laid on.

Millions more trusted their instincts and went down the pub. Across the country, it was estimated that four million people crammed into their locals as eight out of 10 pubs opened early.

Rush hour in the capital was delayed by two hours and the streets were almost deserted during the match. London Underground reported an early surge from 6.30am and then a lull during the normal peak time. Train companies laid on extra carriages after 9.30am to accommodate the increase in commuters belatedly making their way into the capital.

At the Sports Cafè, students Zoe Fround and Jennifer Fox, both from London, had dressed up for the occasion. Jennifer, 28, wore an inflatable hat and an England bikini top. She said: "I love dressing up and getting in the spirit of things. The reaction you get from people is brilliant. It's nice to make an effort."

Zoe, who was wrapped in an England flag, said: "We came here for the atmosphere. We are massive football fans."

After the game, they continued their celebrations in the fountains of Trafalgar Square - where David Beckham also reclaimed his place on the empty plinth.

Madame Tussaud's put up a wax model of the England captain on the vacant space for Beckham yesterday but was forced to remove it because it did not have permission. After today's game, the Greater London Authority agreed that the figure could go on display on every day England plays in the World Cup.

While most pubs offered little more than ordinary televisions and traditional English breakfasts of variable quality, some gatherings were on a grand scale.

One of the capital's biggest events included financial company Bloomberg's 900-strong gathering in Finsbury Square, where staff and City clients watched on a cinema-size screen. In Leicester Square, the Odeon had an audience of 2,000 people who had won free tickets, while another 2,000 crammed into Spitalfields Market, where police and security guards were on duty.

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