England fans drink two months’ of beer in 36 hours at Euros party
Three Lions supporters downed two months’ worth of German beer over a single weekend at the most popular bar in Gelsenkirchen.
Thirsty fans began “pre-loading” local lagers at 9am at GE Piazza Italian restaurant before the Euro 2024 game against Serbia on Sunday night.
Beer restrictions at the stadium prompted thousands to start earlier than usual, which left some suffering “brutal” hangovers on Monday.
Authorities had allowed them to buy a maximum of two pints of low-alcohol beer at a time inside the ground after the fixture was identified as “high risk”.
Staff at GE Piazza, which was draped in England flags and images of Winston Churchill, told The Times fans drank 60 kegs between arriving on Saturday and kick-off. England won the game 1-0.
The bar, which typically serves one keg a day, became a second home for the fans as they descended on the city.
Manager Umit Yavuz, 43, said it was unlikely they would sell as much beer to Spanish and Italian fans also visiting the western German city for their fixtures.
“No, the English like a drink,” Mr Yavuz added.
England fans were left jubilant as Jude Bellingham starred in the victory against Serbia.
Jubilant Three Lions fans in Gelsenkirchen (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
The 20-year-old star’s powerful header in the 13th minute rewarded the side with their opening and only goal, followed by chants of Beatles classic Hey Jude in Arena AufSchalke.
The Stourbridge-born Real Madrid player who was made man-of-the-match.
Praising the young star, England manager Gareth Southgate said Bellingham “writes his own scripts” and England captain Harry Kane said he was an “unbelievable player – he deserves all the praise he’s getting at the moment”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who posted a picture of himself cheering England on in a pub, said Bellingham was “something special”.
One England fan labelled Bellingham a “generational talent” as drinks flew through the air amid celebrations at Wembley Boxpark which spilled out onto the streets with spirited chants of “it’s coming home”.
Celebrating with his friends, Daniel Dunne, 32, from Colchester said: “He is a generational talent.
“He got the goal. He has to start, it doesn’t matter where we play him.”
England will take on Denmark in their next group stage match on June 20.
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