David Beckham and the rest of the England players showed what they thought as the final whistle blew at the end of the increasingly jittery opening encounter against Paraguay.
They made a point of going round the touchline, applauding the vociferous England support in the Waldstadion that had made the game a virtual home match - despite Fifa's scandalous ticket allocation system, about 80% of the crowd were England supporters, a testament to fans' ingenuity - and deep pockets.
God Save the Queen was rousingly endorsed. The Paraguayan anthem - an enjoyably jaunty little number - was impeccably respected. The songs in the stadium were supportive: "Land of Hope and Glory", "Inger-land, Ingerland", etc etc. Only "Rooney, Rooney" might have caused offence - but only to the 11 players on the field at the time.
As I've already reported this week the vast majority of England fans are a decent bunch. Some have engaged in "fan friendship" projects with German supporters. Others just want a beer or two in the sun and to enjoy good-natured banter with rival teams.
The group who sang "Football's Going Home" to a bunch of Swedish supporters after the Trinidad & Tobago result were funny - and well received. There are more women and children here than ever before. The stadium was a sea of St George flags - and the Romerplatz was colonised by banners from such footballing strongholds as Ambleside and Hornsey Rovers. So far, so good.
England fans have changed - they do not strike so much fear in a host city. But thank God for intelligent German policing - and the tolerance of the incredibly helpful, genial and unfailingly polite residents of this charming, genuinely cosmopolitan city.
The minority of hardcore plankton and the easily-led are still too audible. You do not expect a fooball tournament to be a vicarage tea party. It is not Wimbledon, not Lord's.
But, come on ... is the Romerplatz, a square lovingly restored after Allied bombing in 1944, the appropriate location for endless reprises of the 10 German Bombers song? And is O'Reilly's Irish bar, just across the road from the main railway station, really the best location to belt out the other 2006 favourite: "No Surrender to the IRA"? The witless and unthinking element singing them don't actually care.
The vast majority of England fans resist the spitfire impressions and walk away when trouble is in the air. Most of the abusive singing is alcohol-infused - and the most obvious common link between the hosts and the English is an indulgent drinking culture.
It's time for the silent majority to "sing up" and learn something from cricket's Barmy Army. Let's have more "Mighty, Mighty England" - and a lot less of "Then the RAF Shot Them Down".
