This is the moment Scotland fans cheered and chanted while forced to watch their side’s tense 5-3 penalty win over Israel through a pub’s windows after it kicked them out for the 10pm curfew.
Footage shows the tightly-packed crowd singing Flower of Scotland outside Nico’s Café Bar in Glasgow before suddenly bursting into a celebration after the winning kick went in the net.
The match had kicked off at 7.45pm, meaning that pubs were having to close during penalties. It was the last night before new rules come into force banning bars and restaurants from selling alcohol indoors for 16 days.
Footage shows the tightly-packed crowd singing Flower of Scotland outside Nico’s Café Bar based in Glasgow
Last night’s Euro 2020 qualifier victory at Hampton, which saw midfielder Kenny McLean score the winning kick, puts Scotland a game away from their first major finals since 1998.
The footage of people tightly packed together generated criticism on Twitter from people pointing out the lack of social distancing.
It came as groups enjoyed the chance to have one final pint in Glasgow and Edinburgh last night before the indoor alcohol ban comes into place at 6pm this evening.
Nicola Sturgeon imposed the two-week alcohol ban inside pubs and restaurants across the country and closed bars entirely in coronavirus hotspot areas.
The North of England also faces tougher anti-Covid measures, with tens of thousands of venues across the region threatened with temporary closure from next week.
The crowd – who are watching a big screen through the windows – burst into cheers after the winning kick went in the net
Department of Health data shows that the numbers of people in hospital in the North of England has hit around a third of the level it was at during the epidemic’s peak in April. Meanwhile, admissions are surging in those regions while the rate of increase is much slower in most other areas (illustrated in the graphs)
The move has risked a huge amount of jobs and seen Chancellor Rishi Sunak poised to announce a new local furlough scheme, expected to pay two thirds of the wages of employees unable to work in lockdown.
Sources at the Treasury have already confirmed he will be making an announcement later on how he intends to ‘provide a safety net’ for businesses which ‘may have to close in the coming weeks’.
Mr Sunak will also seem likely to be dismayed by new Office of National Statistics figures that have dashed hopes of a V-shaped recovery to the economy after lockdown.
Worrying statistics showed gross domestic product rose by just 2.1% in August compared with the previous month’s 6.6% – confounding economists’ hopes for a monthly growth rate of 4.6%.
Nicola Sturgeon has imposed the two-week alcohol ban inside pubs and restaurants across the country and closed bars entirely in coronavirus hotspot areas. It will begin tonight
The biggest reason to bring football crowds back? To drown out the players! Fans flock to social media to poke fun at Gareth Southgate and his England stars’ tuneless rendition of the national anthem ahead of the win over Wales at an empty Wembley
By James Dutton for MailOnline
Everyone in football wants fans back in stadiums as soon as possible, and England’s friendly against Wales on Thursday night provided an entirely new reason.
This time it wasn’t because no one was there to cheer any goals or sing any songs, indeed it was plain that supporters were needed even before kick-off.
At an empty Wembley everyone at home was treated to the full vocal range – or lack of – from Gareth Southgate and his England stars as they lined up for the national anthems.
England’s players were lampooned on social media for their vocals in the national anthem
With no one in the crowd, everyone at home hear Gareth Southgate and his players
As the camera panned from the England boss in the dugout to his players on the pitch, their monotonal singing was, unfortunately, plain for everyone to hear.
And social media was quick to poke fun at Southgate, his team and their ropey singing.
One fan took to social media to say: ‘Even if they can’t sing they should at least know the words’, while another was particularly enraged: ‘Absolute disgrace from both teams singing the anthems! They should be ashamed.’
A few were angered, but others found the lack of musical prowess amusing.
‘Corr that tickled me being able to hear how tone deaf the England team are singing the anthem’, wrote one person on Twitter. Another added: ‘Sat howling at how out of tune that England team national anthem was’
Some were left pining for the old days when England players would sing God Save the Queen with gusto, even though their efforts were drowned out by the crowd.
Users on social media were quick to poke fun at the likes of Jack Grealish and Conor Coady
Though England hit a bum note in the buildup, they want on to beat Wales easily on the pitch
One tweeted , ‘They’re representing their country they should be bellowing it or at least know the words confidently’, while another said: ”That attempt of the national anthem was pathetic! Bring back the old days when playing for your country meant something.’
There were also calls for fake crowd noise to be pumped in specifically so they didn’t have to hear the players.
Though they hit a bum note in the build-up, it proved a routine evening for England on the pitch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin grabbed a goal on his debut, while Conor Coady and Danny Ings also got themselves on the scoresheet in the second half.
On ITV, Ian Wright and Roy Keane had earlier vented their frustration at the Government for not allowing football supporters back into grounds already.
It was England’s first home game since the coronavirus pandemic in front of an empty Wembley Stadium, and Wright could not believe how members of the public can visit the Royal Albert Hall or even watch a football match in an enclosed cinema but not attend a match in an open-air stadium.
It has been announced recently that 4,700 spectators can attend London’s O2 Arena for a concert in December and a crowd of 57 per cent capacity will be allowed at the Royal Albert Hall for events around Christmas.
The former Arsenal and England striker told ITV on Thursday: ‘Yeah I’m very frustrated when you see the size of Wembley and how they can social distance in it.
England beat Wales 3-0 in front of an empty 90,000-seater Wembley Stadium on Thursday
In line with government regulations amid the pandemic, Wembley was empty on Thursday
‘People will be worried about the concourses but when you look the measures they are doing (to get us in the ground) – and you’ll have to up that – I can’t understand how people can’t be here.
‘When you look at the Albert Hall and cinemas and seeing how they close the curtains (in cinemas when people watch games in there) – why can’t we get fans back in now? Look at the lower league teams, they are suffering.’
Fellow ITV pundit Keane predicted that smaller professional clubs will suffer due to the continuation of behind closed doors matches and even thought that 10,000 fans could have attended the England match on Thursday evening.
The Irishman added: ‘Clubs will go bust, if you look at the situation tonight – you can’t tell me there can’t be 10,000 people in there tonight.
‘It’s frustrating and bizarre at the moment.’
Fans are currently allowed to watch matches in a cinema (left) but not in a stadium (right)