Berlin, here we come! Pints go flying as England fans in pubs across the country lead wild celebrations after Ollie Watkins’ 90th minute winner sets up mouthwatering Euros final with Spain

England fans have erupted into a frenzy after substitute Ollie Watkins dramatically clinched a winner for the Three Lions with just seconds to go in their semi-final against the Netherlands tonight.

Watkins buried a stunning strike into the bottom left corner in the 90th minute to send Gareth Southgate‘s men into Sunday’s final against Spain in Berlin.

The striker had replaced captain Harry Kane, who had earlier equalised for England with a penalty in the first-half – cancelling out Xavi Simons’ wonderstrike after just seven minutes. 

Watkins’ winner sent fans wild as they launched pints into the air and embraced one another – as England’s Euros dream inched one step closer. 

The Three Lions, fresh from their dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Switzerland on Saturday, will now play in their first Euros final on foreign soil on Sunday.

Both England and Dutch fans have descended on Dortmund in their droves for the tense clash which will end with only one country progressing to Sunday’s final against Spain in Berlin.

Thousands of fans have packed out the drenched BVB Stadion Dortmund in Germany. The build-up was impacted by torrential rain pouring over supporters and soaking the pitch due to a leaking roof. 

Speaking after the game outside the stadium, Kieran Maloney of Manchester said: ‘This is the best night of my 21 years. My heart is still pumping and I just can’t believe I am there for this night.

‘We showed tonight that we are a team who play for each other and don’t give up. When we went a goal down, it could’ve so easily been over. But we have come back and we’re are in the final!’

Callum Kay, 21, wiped away tears of joy and said: ‘I never thought I’d see such a great night, and such a great performance from an England.

‘I can’t stop crying. My whole body is in shock. But it’s such a great feeling.

‘I can tell you one thing. I don’t have a hotel room tonight so all I can do is go drink loads of beer and just keep celebrating.’ 

Jaqueline Harris, a nurse, 25, from Huddersfield, said: ‘Now that’s we are in the final. We have to make sure that we win the competition. It has been a long time coming home, nearly 60 years.

‘My dad was born in 1966 and we always said that one day we will celebrate his birth by England winning a cup.

‘I have just spoken to him on my phone and I could hear him crying along with all my family who were watching it on TV. There will be a lot of drink going down tonight.

‘I’m supposed to be back at work on Friday, but I don’t know what to do now. I can hardly call in sick because I’m a nurse.’  

A Dutch-English football fan said she wishes she had made a ‘cheeky bet’ on her score prediction after it ended up being the final score for the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands.

Emily Knight, 38, watched the match alongside her husband – Gareth, 45, who wore an England top – and despite rooting for England to win, she donned a Netherlands top as ‘a back-up’. 

Mrs Knight, who works in the construction industry, predicted England would beat the Netherlands 2-1, which ended up being the final result.

‘(I’m) thrilled England are through, wish I’d placed a cheeky bet on my score prediction. I was relieved for England as the Dutch looked dangerous in the last quarter,’ Mrs Knight, who lives in Grantham, Lincolnshire, said.

The couple’s sons – Edwyn, six, and Wilfred, five – wanted to watch the match live but were too ‘knackered’, but Mrs Knight said: ‘I recorded the match so they can watch it after school tomorrow.’

She said Ollie Watkins‘ winning goal was ‘exquisite’ and when asked if she would wear an England top for the final, she replied: ‘Absolutely.’

Millions more England fans are watching the game at home as they flock to fan zones, pubs and bars across the country.

The Three Lions’ star-studded squad have the support of an army of WAGs and the whole nation as they try to go one better than three years ago when they lost on penalties against Italy in the final at Wembley. 

Although there has been minimal trouble at the tournament so far, Dutch hooligans injured five England fans in a series of attacks on Dortmund bars this afternoon which has threatened to overshadow the big occasion.

UK Police say groups of ‘risk supporters’ are known to be among the 80,000-strong Dutch support that has made the short trip across the border.

Some 40,000 Three Lions supporters are in Dortmund for the game as England play their third semi-final in the past four major tournaments. 

Millions more will be watching back home on TV with 28million people expected to tune into ITV’s coverage and an estimated 35million pints set to be poured.

The revelry will continue should the team make it through to Sunday’s final against Spain in Berlin, with Tesco announcing it will close all its Express supermarket stores in England early to let staff watch the match should they win tonight.

England were given an official allocation of just 7,255 at the 81,365-capacity stadium and are set to be dramatically outnumbered by Dutch fans. The Three Lions could reach a second successive Euros final after topping their group in unconvincing fashion; scraping through against Slovakia after a late Jude Bellingham strike in the last 16; then beating Switzerland on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Britain’s pubs are set for a multi-million pound bonanza from fans who are watching at home.

Landlords expect to pull an extra eight million pints from the pre-match build up to the final whistle.

Thousands of those pints, including gallons of alcohol-free beers, will flow during the late night licensing hours with pubs in England allowed to remain open until 1am for fans to celebrate, or even drown their sorrows.

The late-night hours were proposed in the last days of the Conservative government and will be enacted unopposed in Parliament tomorrow by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer And Pub Association hailed the boost.

She said: ‘We expect an incredible eight million extra pints to be poured in our pubs during England’s semi-final against the Netherlands.

‘This amounts to an amazing £40 million in additional trade for pubs and breweries.

‘And let’s not forget that England making it to the semi finals now means pubs will be licensed to stay open until 1am on Wednesday night, giving fans even more time to enjoy the game and support our pubs.

In Dortmund today, Netherlands supporters turned the city into a sea of orange as they danced, chanted and let off flares.

Most do not have match tickets but made the journey to watch the game in one of the city’s two fan parks, causing one to put the ‘full house’ signs up seven hours before kick off.

Thousands were jammed into the city centre, on trams on the city’s underground and outside their team’s hotel near the BVB Stadion.

Supporters started a two-mile march to the stadium some five hours before kick-off, led by an orange double-decker bus. 

The exciting day was thrown into chaos, however, when Dutch hooligans started attacking England fans – as The Euros exploded into sickening violence.

Videos surfaced on X of swathes of people dressed in the iconic bright orange football shirts throwing stools and benches outside of Sausalitos restaurant and bar in Germany ahead of kick-off.

UK Police have said groups of ‘risk supporters’ are known to be in Dortmund and warned England fans to seek refuge in areas populated by German police.

In one of the clips locals attempted to guard the cafe, with fans who chose to venture out and engage with the mob being quickly set upon.

A bar staff member at the restaurant claimed that the fight broke out after Dutch fans attempted to steal a flag from England supporters.

Speaking to the MailOnline Leo Woeho said: ‘There was provocation from both sides. They were singing songs.

‘The Dutch were saying to the English that they were going to go home and lose tonight.

‘Then I saw the Dutch fans trying to take the England flag and that’s when the trouble started.

‘The Dutch fans started throwing things like tables and chairs and bottles and then the England fans retaliated.’

‘He said nobody was seriously injured, although police made several arrests.

‘There is a lot of damage, a TV has been smashed, furniture broken and damage is elsewhere.

‘It was quite scary and it is a shame. It means we have to close and open now until tomorrow.’

A spokesperson for the UK Football Policing Unit said: ‘We are aware of some reports and videos circulating of disorder in Dortmund.

‘It appears that there have been several instances of Dutch fans attacking England fans in bars and attempting to steal flags.

‘We understand this has resulted in minor injuries to five people. We are also aware that in addition to the tens of thousands of Dutch fans there to enjoy the game, there are groups of risk supporters who have travelled to Dortmund from the Netherlands.

‘Our officers are at the location supporting German colleagues. We would advise supporters to be aware of their surroundings and seek areas where there is a German Police presence.’

The violence came after England fans had told of their excitement – with supporters still riding high from the Three Lions’ penalty shoot-out win on Saturday.

A group of shirtless England were spotted singing and chanting in a hammering downpour of rain in Germany last night.

Partying outside of Fitzpatrick’s Irish Pub, the ecstatic supporters chanted ‘please don’t take me home’.

Among those who arrived today was Olivia Elcock, 21, an admin assistant from Birmingham, who told how she and her boyfriend Dillon had paid £1800 for a pair of tickets – as soon as England had beaten Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

She said: ‘We have paid a lot of money, £900 each, but it will be worth every penny just to see England in this match that everybody really would love to be at.

‘I booked the tickets through a resale agency online and I know that means that we have paid far too much, but it is worth it believe me.

‘I just want to say that I was there, when we played, and hopefully we will win. I think it will go to penalties, but will win that way because we were so cool on Sunday night in the penalties.’

Her partner Dillon Babiy added: ‘I have been to England matches abroad before. It’s always about the atmosphere and the fans as well as what happens on the pitch.

‘It’s just an amazing feeling to be drinking beer, singing songs and supporting your team.

‘We have spent a lot of money, but we are here and we’re really looking forward to tonight. I think we will win.’

A group of four men from Huntingdon flew into Germany overnight, arriving in Dortmund at breakfast time and unfurled a flag with pictures of Bukayo Saka and Jordan Pickford and the title: ‘Huntingdon Hotties’

Josh Furnell, 26, said: ‘I know it’s a cliche but we really believe football is coming home this week.

‘England fans have waited 58 years since we won the World Cup in 1966 for the right to be called champions.

‘We will do it and we will be England’s 12th man.’

Josh Williams, 26, said: ‘Each of us have paid about £500 for the whole trip. It is not a lot of money really when you take the importance of this game. If we win, we are in the final.’

Their friend Callum Barker, 32, added: ‘We left Cambridge at 3 am this morning, got a redeye flight overnight from Stansted Airport and have only just got here.

‘We have been up all night and haven’t slept. But the atmosphere is amazing. There are so many Dutch fans in Orange, we are clearly going to be outnumbered. But we will sing the loudest that we can for our team when we find the energy.’

England fanatics Andy and Kirsty, who are there for the match, said it would be ‘unbelievable’ if England went all the way.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Andy said: ‘It’s my 16th tournament and it’s a momentous tournament because they always are. We’ll see what happens, we’re feeling relatively positive. I’m feeling zen-like, we’re ready.

‘If we win it that’s my retirement from international football as a fan. I feel like we could be on a winning streak of semi-finals after so many disappointments.

‘We won the last semi-final against Denmark at Wembley (at Euro 2020), I feel like it’s an even chance tonight.’

Kirsty added: ‘[I’m feeling] semi-confident, I’ve got to say. I’m really hoping to see them coming out fighting tonight. It’s a big, strong, physical side we’re against in the Netherlands but I’m ever hopeful.

‘Could you imagine if we won?! Unbelievable.’

Tanya, who has been in Germany to follow the team, told Good Morning Britain today that she believed football could be coming home.

She said: ‘[I’ve been here] since the third group game. It’s been amazing, we’re having a fantastic time and the best is yet to come.’

Many of the travelling contingent have arrived in Dortmund over the last couple of days, with plenty basking in the glorious sunshine and warm temperatures yesterday.

Among those was the Fairbank family, made up of father Scott, mother Sam and their 13-year-old daughter Freya, who had been due to return home on Sunday but decided to extend their stay.

Scott, 43, from Sheffield, said the decision to stay on for the ‘once in a lifetime’ match came at a price – two rooms for two nights in Dortmund has cost them £1,600.

‘They’ve ripped our eyes out with the price of those rooms’, he said. ‘And the accommodation is somewhat basic – but we fell in love with the whole experience around the Switzerland game’.

With a wry smile, Scott said the family drove out on Friday – having told Freya’s school that she had ‘German measles’.

But he added: ‘When we decided to stay out we had to phone up the school again on Monday and come clean.’

Sam, who turned 41 yesterday, added: ‘We came out earlier on for the group game against Slovenia. The match was disappointing but we had the best time in Cologne.

‘After Switzerland we were absolutely buzzing. We’ve loved our time in Germany, yet it’s somewhere we would’ve probably never thought to travel to if it wasn’t for the Euros.’

Brothers Denny and Ronnie Lovett from Dartford, Kent, also moved on to Dortmund from Dusseldorf, but saved cash by staying in an AirBnB outside the city for just £50 per night.

Denny, 22, an estate agent, added: ‘We’ve already booked accommodation in Berlin (for the final) – we’re confident. You’ve got to back the team. I like it out here and don’t want to go home, but I’ll have to have a conversation with the boss if we win against the Dutch.’

Back in England people have also been getting into the football spirit, with the Kings Guards seen playing Baddiel and Skinner’s ‘Three Lions’ outside Buckingham Palace this morning.

Tonight 28million viewers are expected to watch the game on ITV and ITVX streaming, beating the record for a match aired on a single channel.

England’s Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark attracted 27.6million on the same channel. Finals are shown on both BBC and ITV.

The audience is expected to be so great that the National Grid is preparing for a surge in demand for electricity during half time as millions of people use the toilet and put on the kettle at the same time.

And for the pubs and breweries of Britain, the match will be one of the busiest days of the year, as 35million pints are expected to be downed by people watching the match – 17million of these will be drunk in bars and 18million at home.

Three million people are expected to watch the game in bars, making it the biggest midweek night for decades thanks to 1am England-wide late licenses which were not in place for the midweek semi-finals at Euro 2020 or World Cup 2018.

However, there will be no fan zone for fans to watch the game outside, with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan snubbed suggests of a 30,000-capacity location in Hyde Park.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said the Greater London Authority is ‘exploring the possibility of a screening for the final, should England progress.’

If the Three Lions do make it to the final on Sunday, Tesco will close its Express stores in England early to allow its staff to watch the game at home or in the pub, although online deliveries will continue as normal.

Managing director of UK stores Kevin Tindall said: ‘We will be cheering on the Three Lions tonight against the Netherlands and hope they reach a second successive Euros final.

‘We appreciate just how much this would mean to so many of our colleagues, and we want them to be able to celebrate with their family and friends.

‘So, if we make it through to the final, we will close our stores across England in time for them to get behind Gareth Southgate and the team, and we’ll all be hoping that football will be coming home.’

Some employers may feel the after-effects of an England victory tomorrow with 1.5million expected to call in sick, more than double the normal amount.

Those who have travelled over to Dortmund have been joined by 100,000 Dutch fans, many of whom have made the relatively short journey from their home nation to the west German city in a bid to turn the streets orange.

On the table next to the Lovett brothers, Dutch students Yan Doldersam, 25, and Lucas Kalverla, 23, drove 90 minutes from their home town of Emmen. They were enjoying a beer in the central square in Dortmund with countryman Goleos Sepanial, 43 who lives in the city.

Yan said: ‘We have had a similar tournament to England – the fans expected a lot more from our team than they have showed so far. I think tomorrow they will show it!’

In the border town of Aalten, many of its 27,000 residents have taken advantage of the close proximity of the matches and the lack of border restrictions to follow Ronald Koemen’s Dutch team throughout the tournament.

Dutch restaurant manager Loes Oonk, who has decorated the front of her home with a giant Dutch flag with the lion emblem, will make the 60-minute journey over the border with seven friends for today’s match in a mini bus.

She said: ‘It is very easy for us to reach Dortmund, but not so easy for the English supporters. I think it will give our team an advantage to have so many people in orange shirts in the stadium to support them.

‘Maybe the English will have to work and will not be able to come in so many large numbers because of their jobs, but we will be able to come home the same evening from Germany.’

‘The match is the talk of Holland. We are also excited and really looking forward to it. Everyone is talking about it in this town too and getting their flags and orange shirts ready. Football is very important in the Netherlands, just like it is in England.’

Ahead of the match England boss Southgate said his team has the chance to make history tonight.

He said: ‘We’ve listened to the challenges over the years and used them as motivation to break new ground.

‘We’ve never been to a final outside our own shores. These are opportunities to make a difference and that’s how we have to look at it. We don’t want to be burdened by what’s happened before.

‘We have got to use this opportunity to change history as a motivation, and that’s how the players see it. It’s about their moment now, nothing that’s gone on in the past. None of that is their fault or their concern.’

Amid criticism of England’s performances and Southgate’s tactics throughout the Euros, the manager insisted team spirit was stronger than ever.

‘This group of players have really come together well over the last three or four weeks,’ he said.

‘We’ve spoken about (playing with fear). When you sense that feeling, you need to confront it. It’s no use hoping it will go away.