Euro 2024: One Direction star makes special Glastonbury showing for England v Slovakia
England's passage to the last eight in Germany was made even sweeter thanks to the quick thinking of Louis Tomlinson
One Direction star Louis Tomlinson has been labelled the hero of Glastonbury after his quick-thinking initiative.
England's Euro 2024 round of 16 clash with Slovakia was not screened anywhere at Worthy Farm over the weekend due to the already heavily congested schedule. Tomlinson, who attended as a punter, decided he was going to take matters into his own hands to help resolve the situation.
Exiting the festival before returning with a TV, generator and a dongle, Tomlinson hosted a viewing party of the match live from his campsite as Gareth Southgate's men mustered up enough courage to fight back from 1-0 to secure their passage to the quarter-finals of the competition.
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"Well we brought a TV in, very Glasto, in like some stones and a little stand," began the One Direction superstar. "It was a little bit touch and go at times because the signal kept going in and out. But yeah luckily we got the win and we pulled it off. [I am] made up."
Tomlinson, who used to play football as a kid for his local side Doncaster Rovers, rose to stardom on the hit TV show X Factor when One Direction was born back in 2010. 1D quickly became one of the best-selling boy groups of all time before bowing out to focus on their own individual ventures back in 2016.
“It’s the second screen I’ve bought," added Tomlinson, speaking to The Guardian. "The first one cracked. I wasn’t going to take credit for it if we lost in normal time but now that we’ve equalised I’m happy to.”
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Jude Bellingham's stunning acrobatics ensured England forced extra time against Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen before Harry Kane's towering header ensured a 2-1 win and a place in the next round for the Three Lions. They now face Switzerland on Saturday.
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Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.