This soccer match was so boring, fans started throwing paper airplanes into the goals
For the vast majority of the 94 minutes of real soccer between England and Slovenia in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match Thursday night, fans at Wembley Stadium were bored with their team’s failed attempts to get through Slovenia’s wall of defense.
“England’s poor performance drew mockery and sarcasm from some sections of a dissatisfied Wembley crowd, clearly unimpressed by what they were witnessing,” Bill McNulty, chief football writer at BBC Sport, wrote.
The game was still tied at 0, as it would remain through all 90 minutes of regular time, when something interesting did start to happen.
Out from the top level of the stadium began to fly several paper airplanes.
The crowd roared, especially loud when one of the planes accomplished something no footballer on the pitch had been able to: put one in the goal.
You know England are shite when a plane landing in the net gets the biggest cheer #England #ENGSLO pic.twitter.com/cZxIfDEeaw
— Andy Houston (@AndyHoust) October 5, 2017
Bit of atmosphere now because people are having a paper plane competition. I haven't watched the game in five minutes. #ENGSLO
— Matt (@GilbFromUpNorth) October 5, 2017
The crowd are reserving the loudest cheers for when one of them lands a paper plane on the pitch. That is where we are at. #ENGvSLO
— Mark Chapman (@markchapman) October 5, 2017
Loudest Wembley has been for years when a paper plane hits the pitch. Takes good technique to get one down there from the top tier #ENGSLO
— Scott McCarthy (@smccarthyplc) October 5, 2017
The only entertaining thing at wembley, a plane being thrown from the top tier pic.twitter.com/96NMplI1Bk
— AH‼️ (@aharwood4) October 5, 2017
While this sequence of events may feel satisfying to American sports fans who have refused to acknowledge soccer’s creeping popularity in the U.S., it also illustrates a uniquely British ability to have cheeky fun in the face of the grayest of skies. Or stadiums.
In case you were wondering, England pulled out a win late to secure a spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with striker Harry Kane’s breakthrough goal in stoppage time.
This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 10:00 AM with the headline "This soccer match was so boring, fans started throwing paper airplanes into the goals."