Argentina fan swarmed by England supporters in central London rescued by police | OneFootball

Police were forced to step in to rescue a lone Argentina fan as supporters left pubs and bars following England’s World Cup semi-final defeat.

Footage posted on social media showed dozens of officers surrounding the fan, wearing an Argentina shirt, as they escorted him into a van near hundreds of people hurling abuse.

Many members of the crowd filmed the incident on their mobile phones in central London.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “As crowds were dispersing after the match, officers on duty in Piccadilly Circus became aware of a lone Argentina fan who was being surrounded by England fans.

“They intervened before any harm could come to him, formed a bubble around him and escorted him to the safety of a nearby police van.”

Elsewhere in central London, officers made seven arrests following England’s World Cup exit, including one on suspicion of driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The Met said the remaining arrests saw four people detained for affray, one for assaulting an emergency worker and one for racially aggravated assault.

England’s major semi-final drew a peak audience of 24 million people on the BBC on Wednesday evening.

England led in Atlanta through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal, raising hopes of a first men’s World Cup final appearance since 1966.

The Argentina fan was escorted to a police van by officers after England’s World Cup semi-final defeat (Reuters)

However, the team buckled under the pressure of wave after wave of Argentina attacks as Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes left and Lautaro Martinez headed the winner in injury time.

England cannot pack their bags for home just yet as the team must return to Miami a week on from winning their quarter-final against Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium.

A third-place play-off against France awaits and Saturday’s encounter will be a drag for all involved.

It was the highest-rated live television event of the year, with an average audience of 22.1m on BBC1 and the BBC iPlayer, and the biggest live television audience for a live event since 2021, when England lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

The World Cup final will be broadcast live on the BBC and ITV on Sunday evening, with kick-off at 8pm.