Police rescue lone Argentina fan surrounded by England supporters in central London after World Cup exit

Metropolitan Police officers intervened to protect a lone Argentina fan who was surrounded by England supporters near Piccadilly Circus in central London on Wednesday night, following England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Footage shared on social media showed dozens of officers forming a cordon around the man, who was wearing an Argentina shirt, as hundreds of people directed abuse at him. Many in the crowd filmed the incident on their phones.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed the intervention: “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, police made seven arrests in the aftermath of England’s exit. One person was detained on suspicion of driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The remaining six arrests covered four counts of affray, one assault on an emergency worker, and one racially aggravated assault.

The disorder followed a dramatic semi-final in Atlanta in which England led through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal, only for Argentina to fight back. Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes remaining before Lautaro Martinez headed a winner in injury time to end England’s hopes of a first men’s World Cup final appearance since 1966.

The match drew a peak television audience of 24 million, with an average of 22.1 million watching on BBC One — the largest live television audience for a single event since England’s defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

England will return to Miami for a third-place play-off against France, with the match scheduled for Saturday.