England fans in pubs and bars across Leeds toast Kalvin Phillips' key role in win

Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips played a major role in England's win v Croatia to the delight of fans watching the game in pubs and bars across the city.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Jacob Georgallis, general manager of Toast bar, said a chorus of 'He's magic you know, Phillips the Yorkshire Pirlo' rang out after the Leeds United star provided the assist for Raheem Sterling to score what proved to be the winning goal.

Jacob, who runs the bar off Wellington Street, said: "Everyone really enjoyed it. Given the circumstances, it has gone really well."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jacob said he ran a mainly bookings only policy for the match.

England fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds.

Picture : Jonathan GawthorpeEngland fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds.

Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe
England fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds. Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe

"The atmosphere was electric," he said. "Everybody was just happy to be out in groups.

"A lot of people have been waiting for something positive to occur. They seemed to really enjoy themselves.

"People were singing 'He's magic you know, Phillips the Yorkshire Pirlo' after Kalvin Phillips provided the assist for the goal."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Aire Bar owner Chris Howard said the bar was as busy as it could be for England's first Euros game as ongoing Covid regulations mean it is table service only.

England fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds.

Picture : Jonathan GawthorpeEngland fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds.

Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe
England fans watch the England v Croatia match in the Aire Bar, Leeds. Picture : Jonathan Gawthorpe

Chris, who owns the bar on The Calls, said: "It was brilliant. I'm really glad we went for the walk in option rather than taking bookings.

"Everyone played by the rules and there was a really good atmosphere."

Chris said takings were around 50 per cent down on what they would have been without Covid restrictions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Normally it would be four or five deep at the bar, but everybody has got to be sat down.

"We had around 100 people in and normally we would have had maybe 300.

"It was more subdued than we would normally be used to, but it was a great atmosphere."

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.