Cheers To The Cup: Tanya's heart breaks as England's flag is finally burnt

Before yesterday's semi-final match between England and Croatia, only an English flag remained in the glass rack at the R & J Cool Out Spot on Maxfield Avenue.

Before the start of the tournament, bar patrons put up the flags of their teams. One by one they came down, and those who did not support England where itching to ignite the Three Lions' flag.

The ball had barely hit the back of the net in the 109th minute, via Croatia's Mario Mandzukic's boot, when the flag was quickly snatched from the rack.

While the England haters tried unsuccessfully to use a lighter to burn the flag, England supporter Tanya Beckford was almost brought to tears as her team was about to crash out of the World Cup.

"Pluck out the fan," the bartender, Shanika beckoned, so that the flag could meet a fiery end. But another England supporter quickly shrugged off her request.

But the small gathering that had grown larger following the goal, were determined that the flag had to be lit, and shortly after it was doused with a little white rum, causing the flames from Niney's lighter to quickly climb all over the fabric.

Similarly to more fancied teams such as Brazil, Germany and Argentina, the flag went up in smoke long before the final whistle had sounded.

But even after the flag was burnt, Tanya was still hoping that her team would grab an equaliser before extra time was up.

But it was not to be as the Englishmen succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, forcing Tanya to hide her face in her palms.

"Tanya get sick instant," a community member who emerged after the final whistle shouted, while she knocked two pot covers together.

Earlier, Tanya expected to be the one beating the pot covers as she celebrated wildly when Kieran Trippier scored a superb free kick in the fourth minute before rushing to get two pot covers.

Though confident of victory, she wanted her team to grab a second goal quickly and with every England attack, she eagerly reached for her pot covers.

But she would never get the opportunity to beat them together.

"Mi a bring England from inna di 90s cause I lived over there for 17 years, cause mi go college over there," said Tanya. She told THE STAR that she returned to Jamaica in 2010. "All mi son a British, him born ova deh."