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Daily Mirror
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Bronwen Weatherby & Laura Sharman & Jeremy Armstrong & Andy Lines & Ryan Merrifield & Dan Warburton

England and Wales fans enjoy all-day party before 'Battle of Britain' World Cup clash

England and Wales football fans spent all day gearing up for their World Cup crunch match tonight which was dubbed the “Battle of Britain”.

The home nations went head to head at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in a heart-stopping final match in Group B.

The Three Lions won 3-0 thanks to a Marcus Rashford double and a poacher's strike from Phil Foden, with the Dragons' first half low block having crumbled after the break.

In the second ever meeting of the two nations on foreign soil, hoards of supporters have made the trip and millions more are watching back home.

But it was heartache for the Welsh, with fans dejected by the end, as England supporters partied at full-time.

Excited crowds began gathering in pubs across Britain for a pre match pint hours before kick-off, rooting for Gareth Southgate and Rob Page's teams.

Supporters were also seen raising a glass early in the day at the Three Lions Red Lion Pub & Restaurant in Doha, which has become a popular boozer for Brits in Qatar.

To follow the Mirror's live blog of the match click here

A single England fan amongst Wales fans inside the stadium (PA)

One England fan was warned to put his top back on by stadium security just prior to the match starting.

He bared his tattooed torso and fist-pumped towards the camera before being told to cover up by a staff member in a hi-vis vest.

Outside the stadium there were angry scenes after every flag was checked and measured before the match.

Stadium security tells England fan to put his top back on (Sportimage)

The official “flags and banners evaluation area” was set up and manned by six security guards.

Anyone taking footage of the flags being measured was asked to delete it.

Furious supporters claimed they had been allowed to take their banners into earlier games but not this one.

England fans in lion costumes and St George face paint in the stadium (PA)

Max Thomas, 27, was allowed to take his Coventry city flag in.

“It took me five minutes but I got it in.”

Southampton fan Glenn Hawkins from Cholesey, Oxon said: “We’ve had the issue about my flag before but I was always eventually allowed in - but not tonight.

Boisterous England fans outside the ground before the game (PA)

“This is my 18th match of this particular tournament and this is first
time I have been banned.”

Meanwhile, in Tenerife, Wales fans packed the Original Wigan Pier in Costa Adeje to support the Red Dragons.

More than a dozen riot officers and vans are policing the area as hundreds of Wales supporters roar on the team in Bar La Flaca.

Elsewhere, the England fans have taken over Leonardo’s bar - not far from the violent disorder which was witnessed over the weekend.

Spanish police deployed officers and tactical units to quell disorder.

The Three Lions currently top the group and need just a point to guarantee their progress to the knockout stages.

While Wales must win and hope for a favourable result between Iran and the USA.

Excited Welsh fans celebrating at the Intercontinental Hotel in Doha (PA)

Last week, England erupted in jubilant celebrations as the team won its opening World Cup match against Iran.

Excited fans hope to celebrate again tonight after being left disappointed by the 0-0 result against the USA on Friday.

Brits started drinking in Qatar 11 hours before Tuesday's big game.

England fans at BoxPark Wembley (PA)

At the Curry House bar in the Doha Intercontinental city hotel Wales, supporters started knocking back pints at 11am.

The cheapest package on offer - five pints and an Indian starter platter - cost £80, but there was no shortage of customers.

Ian Bell, 38, was the only England fan in the bar.

Wales fans, including a baby, in the stands (Getty Images)

"I’ve just flown in from Dubai for the game. Wales fans have been great … it’s so friendly," he said.

Gareth Bowen, 29, from Caerphilly said: "People have started early but will definitely pace themselves. No-one wants to miss the game."

Wales have made an emotional return to the men's FIFA World Cup after 64 years.

English and Welsh fans in the Red Lion bar before the crunch “Battle of Britain”final group game (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

The team opened with a 1-1 draw against the USA thanks to a late penalty by captain Gareth Bale.

Now they need a win against their neighbours England to stay alive in Qatar.

Tony Rogers and his three friends were the only Welsh supporters in the Red Lion pub, surrounded by an ever-growing sea of England fans.

Wales fans David Higginson, 34 (left) and Stephen Cutting, 35 from Cardiff (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

“We’ve got to up our game,” the 58-year-old said.

“After the Iran match we were all quite down. We just want to come away from here having done something.”

England remains in good shape to advance and are on the verge of qualifying for the last 16 in the football showcase.

England fans enjoyed the pre-match atmosphere (Getty Images)

A win against Wales would see them qualify as group winners and a draw will be good enough for the team to go through in second place.

For England to get knocked out of Group B altogether, Wales would have to beat them 4-0, and Iran would have to beat the USA.

Meanwhile Wales' chances of getting through to the last 16 suffered a huge blow on Friday when they lost 2-0 to Iran, compared to England's 6-2 victory against the team.

It means they now need to beat England by four goals or more to go through to the knockout stages of the World Cup.

But their captain Bale, who also plays as a winger for Los Angeles FC, said there is "no reason" why Wales can't spring World Cup shock against England.

"Everyone has weaknesses. We’ve done our homework," he said.

"England are a very good team. They are one of the favourites to win the tournament. We are under no illusions that it will be hard.

England is on the verge of qualifying for the last 16 (PA)

"There’s been a few shocks in the tournament already and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same.”

A victory from Wales would not be the first time the team has taken the world by surprise.

The Dragons lost 2-1 to England in the group stage of the 2016 European Championships, but went on to reach the semifinals.

While England crashed out of the championship in the round of 16 after losing to Iceland.

England fans Mick Martin, Alan Lyness, Andrew Doyke, David Powell and Alistair Banham (left to right) in the Red Lion Pub & Restaurant in Doha, Qatar (PA)

Downing Street said Rishi Sunak would be supporting England, but hoped both teams could advance “as far as possible” in the competition.

Fans from both nations spoke of their positive experience of the tournament so far, with some saying it had “exceeded” their expectations.

Mike Ritter, from London, said his experience of the World Cup has been better than expected although joked the “football has been worse” after watching England’s 0-0 draw with USA.

Residents of the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey have decorated their buildings with St George's flags in support of England (Alamy Live News.)

The 36-year-old, who is attending his fourth World Cup and arrived on a shuttle flight from Dubai, said: “We landed at 10am this morning and fly back at seven tomorrow morning.

"Between 3am and 7am there’s not a lot to do, but hopefully it’s a good result and we don’t really care.”

On what England boss Gareth Southgate should do against Wales, Mr Ritter replied: “Play Phil Foden. He should have come on at half-time against the States, so I think it’s important he gets a game today.”

Fans have been gathering throughout the day (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

Alistair Banham, 67, from Buckinghamshire, added: “We got here knowing it’d be different to other World Cups and we adjusted to that and it has exceeded my expectations and it’s been really, really good – great fans, camaraderie, no trouble, you can find a beer, get to the grounds.”

While Wales fan Steve Pope, 53, said he believed a 4-0 win was possible against England.

“Everyone is being very friendly, but they’ve only had one pint so far," he said.

England fan Karin King and Welsh fan Rachel Walters in Doha (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

“I think we could beat them 4-0 but I’ll take a 1-0. If we get a good result our plan is to hop on the Metro and have a good singalong and then party all night.

“If we don’t, it’ll be a case of jumping in an Uber and going back to the apartment to cry.”

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the UK’s football policing lead, said there had been no arrests or incidents in the opening nine days of the tournament and praised England and Wales fans for their "exemplary" behaviour.

He said the lack of trouble at the Qatar World Cup, which he believed was in large part due to alcohol being less available, was a sign that ministers should resist calls to ease restrictions on drinking in UK football grounds.

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