ABU DHABI // Tony Dunne and his friends jumped, screamed and hugged each other with joy as Frank Lampard's shot looped over the German goalkeeper, hit the crossbar and bounced over the line.
But, seconds later, it was the turn of the German supporters to shout with glee as the Uruguayan referee ruled no goal and ordered play to continue. Mr Dunne, 26, a physical education teacher from Liverpool, was furious at the decision - made even more infuriating by the fact that he and his friends were watching the last-16 game in the German's "backyard", the Brauhaus German bar at the Beach Rotana Hotel.
The angry England fans, who were a minority among a sea of hundreds of Germans, bedecked in face paints, flags, necklaces, floral garlands and T-shirts, screamed for instant replays as in other sports such as tennis. "I'm absolutely gutted," said Mr Dunne. "I'm disgusted with the fact that technology is not being introduced to football. It would make a big difference in tournaments like this. They think it will slow the game down but when decisions are wrong, they're wrong."
Just minutes earlier, he and his friends had celebrated a goal that had been allowed. Matthew Upson's header had reduced Germany's lead to 2-1 and the "home" supporters were looking anxious. Despite the heat and the humidity, the fans were crowded into the hotel's gardens to watch the big screens. They were feasting on German fare including giant pretzels, giving the occasion a true German flavour.
It was the many Germans who had the first two reasons to cheer with their team taking a two-goal lead. Then game Upson's goal, then came Lampard's "goal" that wasn't, then came total humiliation as England went on to lose 4-1, their biggest defeat in a major tournament. It was one of the most exciting games in this year's competition - at least for the German fans. Tina Klarich, 23, chose to watch the match at Brauhaus because she likes to "be around German fans when I watch my team".
"I love football and have watched every match so far. It's great to hear everyone supporting your team," she said. "The team is very consistent and it's what will take them through the tournament. They've been good in every match so far, especially players like [Lukas] Podolski." At The Club, aka The British Club, fans from both sides did their best to outchant each other with cries of Deutschland and England reverberating around the venue's reception room with hundreds more fans packed tightly inside, glued to the big screen. A giant St George's flag was draped from the wall while the tournament's various flags lined the walls.
"It was a humiliating defeat," moaned Adam Greenwall, 39. "There's so much history between the two teams and so many hopes were pinned on this. [Wayne] Rooney didn't play like he should have done and in the end, it was Lampard who really stood out today. "But we're out again, the same old story. Germany had opportunities and they just took them. At the end of the day, they just played a better game."
For Linus and Emilie Schwarte, it was always going to be a German victory. Linus, eight, predicted a 3-1 victory at the start of the match while sister Emilie, 11, said 2-1. Emilie is as devoted to football as her brothers. A keen fan of Bayern Munich and herself a player, she laughed when she was asked before kick-off who would win the game. "Of course, Germany," she smiled. The rivalry between the two sides is historic and one of the most fierce of the tournament.
From WWII to the 1966 World Cup, when England beat Germany in the final, to 1970 when Germany came from two goals down to win 3-2, to 1990 when Germany knocked out England at the semi-final stage on penalties. Both sides knew there was a lot at stake. In Germany, the newspaper FAZ in Frankfurt wrote on Saturday: "The beloved enemy awaits - they have apparently been working a lot on penalties." Among the pumped up crowd in South Africa, some England fans even wore mock German WWII costumes. More than 20,000 England fans descended on Bloemfontein while only around 6,000 Germans flew out.
Matt Morris, 31, said it was all part of the Abu Dhabi community to see fans of the two teams watching the match together, something not so commonly seen in Europe where footballing rivalry sees even friends torn apart when it comes to the big games. "We came with German friends. It's good community spirit," he said. "It's the most shocking decision to not allow that goal - but I guess it makes it a game to remember."
Sticking by his team, he hoped that in spite of a slow start to the tournament, they could pick up in last night's match. But it was not to be. England's defence was loose and Germany looked dangerous every time they attacked. To Emile and her fellow Germans, the World Cup dreams are still alive, while England's were shattered, with some fans feeling it is the end of an era for English football.
Dean Spenley said: "It's a golden era for football right now but come the next World Cup, a lot of our players will simply be too old. We've got nobody coming up, no new Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard." Rooney will go home after a goal-less tournament, failing to rise to the expectations of a nation. And the future of the England manager Fabio Capello is hanging in the balance, people asking if he is fit to lead the team into the Euro 2012 tournament.
"It's easy to blame the manager but at the end of the day, we just didn't perform as well as we should have, from the start of this tournament," said James Bellingham, 41. Germany fan Thomas Hermann, 41, said that the disallowed goal played into their hands, putting England on the back foot, but was relieved to be through to the quarter-finals. "Now we have to be sure not to get too comfortable, it's still a long way to the finals."
He said that watching the World Cup games away from home has been better than he expected. "I thought I'd feel really homesick but the whole community comes together at times like this. Sport is a great way to unite people and especially here in the UAE." mswan@thenational.ae
