Boos and jeers could be heard ringing out in fans zones across the country after England strained to a 0-0 draw with the US in their second World Cup 2022 game.
The England team was hoping to have sealed qualification for the knockout stages with a win but came away with a point against the US side at the Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor.
It comes after England opted to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community by lighting up the Wembley arch in rainbow colours rather than protest in Qatar by wearing the OneLove armbands.
They did not follow Germany’s lead by making an on-pitch protest against Fifa before their World Cup clash with the United States at the stadium north of Doha.
Back on home turf, England fans have shared their disdain for the outcome of tonight’s match.
Emily Farairrie, 19, a bar worker from Newcastle ,called England’s showing embarrassing.
“Every second in the last half was a nerve-wracking, finger biting moment,” she said. “The contrast between how they played on Monday and tonight is night and day.”
Meanwhile Paul Herter, 22, a carer from also Newcastle said the England side had “played terribly.”
“It was hard to watch.” he said. “It was anti-climactic. It was shocking. I was expecting much more from them.
“It’s a huge let down, especially after Monday. I have work tomorrow so I can’t go out and drown my sorrows.”
Much of the disppointment among fans seems to stem from their conviction that England should have “easily beat” the US team. One such example is Aaron Shield, 29, a prison officer from the north eastern city, who said: “That match was horrendous, absolutely horrendous.
“They have some of the best players on the bench but they refuse to play them. I’m gutted but they didn’t even deserve a pint for that performance.”
For Charlie Darcy, who was today celebrating his 28th birthday, the match was “awful”.
“They didn’t create any chances for themselves,” he said: “It was awful. It’s my birthday today and I had to watch that rubbish. They weren’t playing very well at all.”
“It’s a huge disappointment after their earlier performances.” Matthew McLeod, 18, an engineer from Newcastle added. “It was dreadful. We should have scored against the US but they didn’t create any chances to do that.
“I would rather watch Newcastle play than England at this rate,” he joked, before adding: “We have to give the USA credit. They played really well. Everyone came here thinking we would win and we could walk away happy but that’s not the case.”
Meanwhile, dozens of USA supporters joined the crowds of England fans at the Fifa fan zone in central London to watch the game.
Shawn Kelly, 29, from Boston, said: It’s been a lovely experience. Everyone has been very friendly. We have a lot in common. There’s a lot of camaraderie.
Thomas Borland, 32, from Washington DC, who came to the UK just to watch the World Cup, joked that he felt “slightly” out of place in the crowd.
But he added: “There is nowhere else I’d rather be. This is is what it’s all about.”
Collin Gibson, 47, who lives in Tunbridge, but was born in North Carolina, said he was torn over which team to support with his family all supporting the US team.
“I think I want England to win, I think,” he said. “If England wins I’ll be very happy, if America wins I’ll be ecstatic.”
Earlier in the week, Germany’s players covered their mouths during a team photo ahead of their 2-1 defeat against Japan to show “Fifa is silencing us” by shutting down attempts to wear rainbow-coloured armbands connected to the OneLove campaign.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the disciplinary action the England team could have faced from Fifa for wearing the armband was “unlimited” and suggested they came under pressure from the governing body at late notice.
Several LGBT+ supporters have opted not to travel to the tournament in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
With agencies
