England beat Sweden, fans invade Ikea

London, July 8 

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England erupted with wild celebrations after the nation’s football team beat Sweden to enter the semifinals for the first time since 1990. In Stratford, London, fans were captured on film invading the local branch of Swedish furniture store Ikea and jumping on the beds.

Another video showed a security guard entering the shop to put a stop to the celebrations. Authorities issued warnings as fans in the capital and across the country flocked onto the streets, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Elsewhere, elated supporters from Brighton to Gibraltar, many wearing England shirts or none at all, danced and sprayed beer into the air to celebrate the historic win. 

Chants of “it’s coming home” broke out as England’s place in the semifinals was secured. Fans up and down the country had gathered at big screens and pub gardens to watch the event, basking in the ongoing heatwave. Transport for London reported traffic blockages in Lewisham and Southwark as fans poured onto the streets following the match.

The general jubilation was marred by a handful of fans taking their celebrations a little too far. Video footage on Twitter showed one fan at Clapham Junction taking a leap from a bus onto the roof of a shelter, which subsequently collapsed under his weight. A woman standing underneath appeared hurt as the man crash-landed on top of her. And in Folkestone, two shirtless men were filmed riding on the bonnet of a moving car. Unable to see, the driver nearly crashed into a family crossing the street with their dog. The Teeside Gazette reported that celebrations had got “out of hand” in Middlesbrough as fans surrounded and slapped a police car as yet another fan climbed on top of a bus.

Ambulance smashed

An ambulance was smashed up as fans jumped up and down on the emergency vehicle while medical staff attended a call in central London. “We’re delighted with the result, but this has put a big dampener on the celebrations for us,” the London Ambulance Service tweeted. “While our officer attended a call nearby, this car was damaged during the celebrations after the game — it’s now off the road to be repaired.”

— The Independent