After about an hour on a hot, sticky night in Cologne, the England fans behind Jordan Pickford’s goal launched into a chant to the tune of the Great Escape, led by a banging drum and bellowed out with a renewed sense of purpose. When it reached the end, they started again, repeating themselves for at least 15 minutes, going in the same cycles, sticking to the same rhythm in an endless drone. In a way, it was a fitting tribute to the players in front of them, given that was how England performed in this dismal 0-0 draw against Slovenia.
For a while, it was heart-warming stuff from the travelling number, a determination to enjoy themselves and provide their own entertainment even when Gareth Southgate’s failed side could not. There was a gallows humour to it, nothing else for it than pretending England were winning. “The fans were exceptional in the second half,” Southgate said.
