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For blokes called Harry in England, there are times over the past few years where it must have been a rough lot as their name was spat out with frustration.
But on Wednesday night (UK time) in pubs and on couches around the Old Dart, the stirring double scored by Harry Kane against the Democratic Republic of Congo was widely celebrated as the Three Lions breathed a momentous sigh of relief.
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England is well versed with tension in football and for nearly 70 stressful minutes in their Rd of 32 World Cup clash against the DRC, the angst was palpable on the pitch, in the broadcast booths and with their fans around the world.
A defensive blunder seven minutes in that allowed the lively Brian Cipenga to score had commentators cursing and fans staring bleakly into their beers.
But after being “cock blocked” by the wonderful DFC keeper Lionel Mpasi Nzau on the cusp of halftime, to borrow a quote from one patron watching the drama at The Rose and Crown in Wimbledon, Kane came to the fore.
With substitute Anthony Gordon proving lively, much to the surprise of the fans at the pub who had been slagging him off when he was introduced into the game early in the second half, the star striker delivered in style.
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Not surprisingly Kane, who carried a back injury into the Euros two years ago when England were beaten in the final, earned man of the match honours but was still breathless as he assessed a miraculous escape.
“It feels amazing, to be honest,” he said.
England had kept “pounding the rug” in a knockout encounter where “the risk” and “the pressure” was higher and come away on top, Kane said with an air of disbelief and relief.
And as the Three Lions were celebrating their progression to a last 16 clash against co-hosts Mexico, the chant began.
“Haaarrry. HaaaRRRY. HAAAARRRRY.”
The skipper had emerged as a Messiah in the nick of time, saving a nation from going into early mourning.
A white knuckle ride
It is scarcely surprising that there was a stark difference in the manner with which English fans approached the knockout game compared to their most recent outing against Panama last Saturday.
A sustained heatwave during the previous week had knocked the stuffing out of most in London, but with England unbeaten heading into their final group match, the fans rallied.
There was a distinct air of confidence among patrons at The George IV Hotel in Chiswick despite a dour first half that had plenty pondering whether “this mob” was up to it.
But two second half goals had the pub belting out an anthem now intrinsic to every English campaign. Football, the proclaimed proudly and relentlessly, was “coming home, it’s coming home, IT’S COMING HOME!”.
It remains bewildering to some as to how a song that was penned as a piss-take surrounding England’s inability to snare another World Cup after the heroics of 1966 is now chanted with such enthusiasm and patriotism.
Then again, there are plenty of Aussies belting out Cold Chisel’s Khe Sahn and Americans bellowing Born In The USA without any apparent thought to the meaning behind the lyrics, so perhaps that is best left alone.
Concerns had been raised about the English defence. But the English pundits and fans were happy with the attack, with Kane moving freely and Jude Bellingham looking dangerous with every forward thrust.
And when Germany fell to Paraguay on penalties on Monday night, English fans could scarcely stop laughing. What grand theatre this World Cup was proving. IT’S COMING HOME.
World Cup fever strikes Wimbledon
Football purists would scarcely step foot into a pub like The Rose and Crown to watch a World Cup game, not to dissuade anyone from having an ale there if in the south west of London.
Situated in Wimbledon village, and not too far from The Dog and Fox where Nick Kyrgios once nailed a few pints the night before facing Rafael Nadal at the All England Club, it is a lovely pub that is absolutely rammed during the tournament.
But it served a purpose for locals, tennis fans and young staffers alike on Wednesday afternoon for a World Cup match that began at 5pm, about the time Kyrgios stepped on to court for a brief but unsuccessful outing in the Wimbledon doubles.
He was cursing too, but not about the initial goal coughed up by England or their inability to level. And he later declared he might not be coming back to Wimbledon, where he was a finalist in 2022.
While the All England Club does not screen the football on site – there are whispers about windows being blacked out in certain offices when either the Euros or the World Cup is on to ensure no-one is spotted watching it – Wimbledon nonetheless has football fever, as Alex de Minaur noted.
The Aussie, who plays Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the second round on Thursday, is a passionate Real Madrid fan who was considered an exceptional talent when spending part of his childhood in Spain.
With his mum Esther and siblings still based in Alicante, and set to marry an English rose in Katie Boulter not long after Wimbledon, the World Cup has been a constant distraction for the Demon.
“Honestly, I love it. I feel like whenever there’s so much sport going on at the same time … you’ve got the sun out and it’s a beautiful time,” de Minaur said.
“You have the pubs full, living and loving football, and you’ve got Wimbledon on. I think it’s just great. Every night, every weekend we’re kind of just putting on the TV, we’re flicking through either tennis matches or football matches, right?
“Of course, there’s some that we follow a little bit closer than others. But as you said, I’ve got basically a Spanish team, right? All the Spanish games, unless they’re on a tough schedule. And we’ve got Australia and we’ve got the UK, right?
“There’s been a couple nights where we’ve just had a barbie at home and just watched the football. It’s been great.”
Before kick-off in the famous Wimbledon queue, an Aussie journalist penning a feature on those prepared to wait several hours to catch a glimpse of the action at the famous tournament reported some elaborate constructions of “home made” televisions.
Demon advances to 2nd Round at Wimbledon | 00:45
Back on the grounds members of the European Ryder Cup team that pulled off a big win in New York last September, including Rory McIlroy dressed in his green jacket, were invitees to the Royal Box.
But English news wire service PA reported that Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Luke Donald departed their seats midway through the clash between Barbora Krejcikova and Mirra Andreeva after the Three Lions fell behind 1-0.
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic was scheduled to clash with former Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitispas midway through the World Cup clash and said he had no issues if fans tuned in to watch their nation.
“I think I had that experience before here in Wimbledon a few times with European cups, World Cups in the past with particularly interesting matches,” he said.
“Then I played, scheduled last on Centre Court (and) England would be playing, that would be interesting for me to experience on the court. It would be loud. You can sense there’s a buzz going on.
“People are kind of simultaneously looking at your match and also following their national team. It’s normal. It’s the football fever right now in this four to six weeks.
“We are also part of it. I like football. I follow everything that is going on. Obviously nicer when you’re by the TV than when you’re playing, not everyone is focused on your match. But that’s OK. That’s what it is.”
But outgoing Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton said the club would prefer if attendees did their best not to get distracted by a rival round ball game.
“We’re not going to be showing the football on any of the big screens around the grounds, but clearly if people have got their phones,” she said.
“We’re not going to prevent people from watching the football. (But) we do discourage people in the Royal Box from using their phones anyway.”
Harry rises in the nick of time
Back up at The Rose and Crown, fans kept piling in, many wearing differing versions of the English shirt according to a keen-eyed observer.
Among them was the design from the 1996 Euros in which England finished atop their pool before falling on penalties in the semi-finals to Germany, and a one-off blue guernsey similar in colour to that worn by the DRC that was a mixture of diamond and checks and “wouldn’t look out of place as a carpet”.
When it was announced soon after Cipenga had put the DPC in front that he had not scored in the Spanish second division in the last two years, the response from punters at the pub … well, some things can’t be published.
As broadcaster Guy Mowbray announced signs of infighting with Jude Bellingham looking pissed off – and that was before the striker was yellow carded 19 minutes in – it served to pour fuel on to the smouldering tension after a lacklustre opening.
“Of course they are f***ing fighting between themselves,” a bloke who appeared three pints in declared.
Never had a hydration break come at a better time, and not just because it allowed ex-player turned pundit Alan Shearer to get some things off his chest, including his certainty that England were “too slow” and making “too many errors”.
“It is not good enough. Really, really not good enough,” he said.
Whatever was in the water worked for England, which returned from the drinks break looking far livelier as they peppered the goal face repeatedly, only to be denied by Nzau each time.
England were remarkably lucky not to fall two goals behind late in the first half, but also appeared desperately unlucky not to receive a penalty shot when Kane was felled by Nzau.
As patrons swore with venom, Shearer was adamant that it “should have been a penalty”.
“You can’t and shouldn’t have to make the decision to jump over the goalkeeper when you are in that position,” he declared.
As patrons rushed the bar at halftime to clinch a stiffer drink than most had anticipated, Mowbray mournfully said in commentary; “It is not going England’s way. This is an exhausting watch.”
After another incredible save from Nzau in the 52nd minute, a colleague of this writer lamented the bad luck of the English.
“We’ve come up against an unbelievable goal keeper and a referee who could not see an obvious red card,” he said.
“We’re used to disappointment, but just not normally this early on.”
The decision to substitute Gordon on was met with some derision. But then came the cross to Kane who nailed the leveller. And when the English skipper’s fancy footwork enabled him to score with a bullet clocked at 160km/h, mayhem broke loose in The Bell and Crown.
And that jubilation was not reserved for the pubs across England either, for even back at Wimbledon it was reported that fans were chanting “C’mon HaaaRRRY” as well.
Perhaps the only truly unbelievable thing?
Not once did those in attendance at the pub break into “It’s coming home.” It had been too tight. But the English dream lives on to the weekend.
Thanks, Harry.
