It was a proper party out in Dusseldorf as fans of England and Switzerland refused to have their spirits dampened by the weather... but numpties did still pollute the odd pocket

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It did not feel like a summer tournament. The wind from the Rhine claimed St George’s flags from Gateshead to Gravesend. Flags on faces fell victim to rain water dumped from menacing skies. At least it felt like home.

But away from the waterfront, in the cobbled sidestreets of Dusseldorf’s old town — not that you could see the cobbles — this was where the heat of an England away day beat the weather.

They serve the beer in 200ml glasses here, the cloud burst supplementing measures for those who refused to take cover, and that was the majority. Spirits, you see, could not be dampened.

Be it English or Swiss, the mass of red and white was a joyous antidote to the ominous grey above. There was no trouble here, not even a whiff of it. The Swiss are neutral by nature — it would be hard to pick a barney with the affable folk of Basel. Not that anyone was looking for a scrap. This generation of England fans have evolved, it seems.

The numpties do still pollute the odd pocket. While the claustrophobic Andreasstrade was perfumed with the smells of pizzas, kebabs and burritos, there were a couple of Yorkshire puddings armed with an inflatable Spitfire and singing about German bombers. Thankfully, their verse was shot down by both the breeze and the indifference of others.

England booked their place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals after beating Switzerland on Saturday

Despite the dreary weather, supporters' spirits could not been dampened out in Dusseldorf

The Three Lions fans were in great voice before, during and after the quarter-final clash

Rather, it is songs about Phil Foden and Harry Kane that are top of the hit parade with this marching band. It was not intimidating nor coarse, but good-humoured and inclusive. Shirts of France, Spain and Germany were guests amid this street party.

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There was an isolated incident on Friday night, when a couple of those puddings had goaded a group of Germany fans in the wake of their quarter-final defeat by Spain. Plastic cups and punches were thrown before police arrived. But outside that same bar yesterday, the sound of Atomic Kitten filled the dank air.

Cousins Sam and Joe, from Leamington Spa, were more interested in team news than bad news. They did not react well when Mail Sport told them that only one change was expected to Gareth Southgate’s starting team.

‘That’s the only thing that can spoil today, the football,’ said Sam, 29. ‘We did the first game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen and it wasn’t great. It’s actually been worse in the three games since. But we were always going to come back here. We haven’t got tickets, but we always had Dusseldorf marked as the best of the cities we’d play in.’

And the fan experience?

Those who painted flags onto their faces fell victim to the rain water on Saturday evening

Both England and Switzerland fans were in great spirits during the tie at the Dusseldorf Arena

‘The first game was crap. Nothing to do with the fans, it was just the transport set-up around it. The fans are good. Look around here.’

Indeed. Three friends dressed as lions satisfied the Instagramers, as did the Swiss fan with his placard ‘Swiss ham is better than Bellingham’. A football was booted high into the sky and, even if it meant spilling half of that 200ml, there was always a Terry Butcher or Tony Adams waiting to meet it on landing.

So, will England win the Euros?

‘They’re winning without playing anywhere near their best,’ said Joe, 31. ‘So yes. We’ve got a hotel for Berlin, but haven’t had the nerve to commit to flights yet. We might just take that chance if they win today.’

Come kick-off, the sun had burnt through the clouds. All of a sudden, this felt like a summer tournament. Come full-time, it felt brighter than ever.