It’s certainly a head-turner

With even more hot weather on the forecast, floaty clothing are a wardrobe must-have. A lightweight maxi dress is an easy, breathable choice for everything from wearing to the office to running everyday errands.

At Sainsbury’s Tu, the Khaki Jersey Tie Side Midaxi Dress ticks all of the right boxes, helping wearers stay cool and comfortable. It typically costs £18 but shoppers can pick it up for ‘free’ by signing up and claiming a special cashback offer.

To celebrate 21 years of Topcashback, the money-saving website is offering a £21 cashback on purchases above £15 to new members until Sunday. This means new customers who are also new to the Tu site can get the dress for effectively nothing after cashback has been applied.

READ MORE: I found the prettiest £26 summer cardigan ‘for my baggy arms’ that goes with so many outfits

READ MORE:I found the ‘dreamiest’ £18 summer skirt for garden parties, August weddings and the races

Whereas existing TopCashback customers can get the dress for £17.53. Cashback isn’t paid instantly and it can take up to seven days to land into accounts, more information on the deal is at the bottom of this page.

The Khaki Jersey Tie Side Midaxi Dress is designed with tie side detailing for an effortlessly flattering fit. The khaki dress is available in sizes ranging from 6 to size 24, reports the Wales Online.

The frock is also available in four other colours, however sizes are limited. The Khaki Jersey Tie Side Midaxi Dress is an easy to style piece that is machine-washable and also 100% cotton.

If you like the silhouette of the dress but would prefer it in a different colour, not to worry. It also comes in four other colours including bright blue, black, navy and red.

Another comfortable and breathable summer dress option is the Pure Cotton Square Neck Strappy Midaxi Waisted Dress for £36 from M&S. It features slim straps, a square neckline and a floaty skirt and is available in petite, regular and tall fit.

The Aqua Green Jersey Button Down Midi Dress from Next is another summer option for £22. It is a 100% cotton dress that features button detailing to the front, thin shoulder straps and a v-shaped neckline.

Tu reviewers of the Khaki Jersey Tie Side Midaxi Dress describe the item as the ideal summer dress. One shopper said: “A great throw-on dress. Very comfortable. Very cool.

“Drapes beautifully. Only worn it twice and on both occasions I was stopped by complete strangers to compliment me and my chic, elegant dress.”

Another pleased shopper wrote: “Great Tu item ticking lots of boxes. 100% cotton fabric, so breathable (perfect for summer) loose and flowing but the drawstring sides give you a bit more shape for a flattering fit so it doesn’t wear like a tent. Lightweight fabric so it falls nicely.”

A third also praised the side ties, saying: “Comfy and elegant. Great dress. Flattering drape. Side ties make it flexible in style. Comfy and can be dressed up or down. I sized down as it fits a little big.”

Despite the praise, one shopper noted: “Lovely dress. I’m usually a 14 but the 12 was too big. Haven’t reordered as felt the fabric was too heavy for me.”

However, another pleased buyer shared: “The dress is really comfortable and flattering. The fabric is slightly heavier than I expected but great quality. I will get a lot of wear out if it. Total bargain.”

How to get the £18 Tu dress for ‘free’ via TopCashback until Sunday:

• Sign up as a new member at Top Cashback for free via this link.
• Search for ‘Tu‘ on the site, click through and buy the item normally.
• Get £15 cashback when you spend £15 or more on an item.
• The cashback will track to the TopCashback ‘Earnings page’ within seven days of your purchase.

Prince William has told the England team to ‘hold their heads high’ after their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

The future King praised Thomas Tuchel‘s side’s ‘fight and belief’ that ‘inspired us all’ after the Three Lions crashed out 2-1 down to their rivals, headed up by Lionel Messi.

Sharing the result on Instagram, the Prince of Wales wrote: ‘Gutted. England, you gave it everything and we are all so proud of you.

‘Thank you to everyone on and off the pitch, for an incredible tournament. The fight and belief you have shown has inspired us all.

‘The most complete England team in a tournament. Hold your heads high.’

An initially gutsy performance from the Three Lions saw Anthony Gordon put the side one ahead at 55 minutes, but substitutions to send England into a defensive set-up would heartbreakingly backfire.

England were just less than six minutes away from their first World Cup final for 60 years when Enzo Fernandez scored the equaliser that denied them. 

This was followed two minutes into injury time by a header from Lautaro Martinez, who secured Argentina’s place in Sunday night’s final against Spain in New York. 

Kane looks to the skies as Argentina celebrate on the final whistle in Atlanta, Georgia

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England football fans at Luna Springs in Birmingham after the Three Lions crashed out of the FIFA World Cup

It was England’s fourth-ever appearance in the final four of a World Cup, making this the most high-stakes match since 1966.

But in a story familiar to long-suffering fans, they just couldn’t keep ahead at the final whistle.

The royals were among those quick to congratulate the team for their impressive run to the semis, with King Charles III taking to social media and writing: ‘Commiserations to Harry and the team. 

‘While you Three Lions may be licking your wounds today, you remain the pride of a nation – and will rise again.’

Sir David Beckham also shared an emotional post. 

He wrote: ‘Heartbreak for us all but memories that inspire and last forever… Thank you to our team, our fans & our country for what you have given us in this World Cup.’ 

And outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to England’s ‘passion’ and ‘energy’.

Writing on X, he said: ‘Gutted. Tonight wasn’t the result we all hoped for, but this England team has given it their all. 

‘The passion and energy they’ve shown representing the badge has made us all proud.’

CEO of the FA, Mark Bullingham, said: ‘It is heartbreaking to be so close. The players and Thomas gave it everything today and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament. 

‘I would like to thank them all – and also give my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home. We felt your support every step of the way and we are all so disappointed not to go further.’ 

But fans and pundits lambasted manager Tuchel for turning to a back five with 35 minutes to go against Messi’s legendary striker boots. Messi was granted assists for both goals against the Three Lions.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford sobs at the final whistle after England came within minutes of progressing to the World Cup final

England’s Elliot Anderson reacts after Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez scored the second goal for his team

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England fans react with disappointment after defeat to Argentina in the semi-final match between England and Argentina at Freight Island in Manchester

A devastated England fan is comforted in London after tonight’s semi-final

Although it served them well against Mexico, Ezri Konsa coming on for the goal scorer in the 72nd minute to join Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi and Djed Spence left England with virtually no opportunities on the front foot.

They found themselves on the defensive, and Dan Burn was later introduced too when Reece James left the field injured.

England were then heavily under the cosh, and Enzo Fernandez and then Lautaro Martinez scored to break English hearts once again.

Although Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney were brought on in the final minutes, it was just too little, too late, and Tuchel’s side’s increasingly desperate clearances towards the penalty box were delivered with no results.

England’s players were left devastated as their final hope was dashed, with a stony-faced Harry Kane embracing his compatriots. 

Madonna’s much-anticipated Confessions II has just broken official chart records, making her the first American woman to earn number one albums across five decades. It’s her tenth number one record.

A kind of sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, it marks a euphoric return to form, released seven years after her last album, Madame X (2019), and two decades since the first Confessions last earned her good reviews.

What’s surprising critics and fans is not just the quality of the music, which sees Madonna and Confessions producer Stuart Price lovingly reference Chicago and Detroit house music, but the vulnerability of her lyrics.

Often characterised by defiance, the singer has always had moments of intimacy in her songs, yet she’s never fully engaged in the confessional mode that bolster contemporary superstars like Taylor Swift. Confessions II might therefore be a spiritual sequel to Confessions on a Dancefloor, but the new album is both sonically different from the 1970s aesthetic of its precursor – and much more radically, movingly, confessional.

Confessional pop music

Confession has been one of pop music’s top currencies since the mid-20th century. Coinciding with the emergence of a confessional mode in poetry, in the 1960s and 1970s singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell gained widespread popularity for records which were considered “radically introspective”. Like the confessional poets, these records often “confessed” to intimate failures and experiences of shame, including details of mental health crises, affairs and the end of relationships.

Today, pop music is overwhelmingly assumed to represent the artist’s life. From the lyrical disclosures of Lily Allen’s West End Girl (2025) to the confession booth segment of Rosalia’s Lux tour, many singers trade in the drama of confession. Sometimes they reference its religious, legal or psychoanalytic role as an act of truth-telling and repentance, but more regularly they draw on its secular meaning of revealing secrets and airing personal grievances.

In today’s media landscape, where personal branding often relies on a star’s ability to communicate openness and relatability, confessional address offers singers what musicologist Allan Moore calls “first-person authenticity”, implying an almost unmediated communication between the artist and their audience.

This is what Taylor Swift does so successfully in both her lyrics and the “easter eggs” placed throughout her music, building a complex history of her work and private life that’s most legible to devoted fans.

Madonna’s synthetic intimacies

The ultimate postmodern popstar, there is possibly no one less relatable than Madonna.

Since 1982, the singer has experienced almost peerless fame, marked by fearless reinvention and never-ending controversy. This is the woman who Michael Jackson once described as a “nasty witch”, who called David Letterman a “sick fuck” while smoking a cigar on live TV. She’s also the woman who pioneered celebrity HIV/Aids activism, funding medical treatment for friends and including a Facts About Aids insert in her Like a Prayer album in 1989.

One of the ways Madonna used her fearlessness, and which she returns to in Confessions II, is in her defence of dance music as community and refuge.

The first half of the new album frames dancing as a space for intimacy through anonymity rather than confession. The opening song, I Feel So Free, introduces the singer hiding “in the shadows”, creating “a new persona” on the dancefloor.

Both this and the invocation of freedom in the song’s title recall earlier work like Into the Groove (1985), where a 26-year-old Madonna joyfully proclaimed: “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free / At night I lock the door where no one else can see.”

The album moves between the public and the private, the communal and the individual, deepening the experience through musical nods to Madonna’s vast catalogue. The drums on Bring Your Love remind us of Vogue (1990), and elements of Danceteria recall Music (2000). These references make the songs feel intimate even where their lyrics are broad, mining the rich history Madonna has with her fans and drawing on shared feelings of freedom, joy, and escape to be found on the dancefloor.

Madonna’s confessional turn

Reviewers have been quick to note that the last half of Confessions II is where the songs are most confessional. While some have speculated that Read My Lips is about Madonna’s divorce from Guy Ritchie, the singer has confirmed that Fragile was written about her brother, Christopher, and The Test reflects on her relationship with her daughter Lola.

A common trope of confessional poetry is the use of proper nouns to attach the singer’s emotions to real people. In Bizarre, a reference to the Shelby Cobra, a car Madonna bought for Sean Penn on their wedding day, seems to confirm the song is about him.

While such details might be fun for internet detectives, the more radical use of naming comes in earlier songs like Danceteria, which memorialises a space and community that no longer exists. Named after the New York club where Madonna first performed in 1982, the song’s generalised chorus – “Everybody get up and dance” – is countered by verses that are lengthy lists of real attendees, many of whom – Martin Burgoyne, Haoui Montaug, Keith Haring – died of complications from Aids.

This feels like a kind of intimacy only made possible by Madonna’s life in the past decade. Co-producing her own (currently stalled) film biopic, and experiencing several bereavements and ill health, the new album feels both newly creative and intensely reflective. It is more revealing of Madonna than anything else in her career.

In confessional terms, it also does something frighteningly rare in pop by admitting to fallibility. On the first Confessions album, singles like Sorry repeat the title in seven different languages but it’s never clear who’s being asked to repent. On Confessions II, in The Test, Madonna admits to her daughter Lola: “I didn’t think of how it could disturb / Or how it hurt / I wish I knew, the pain I caused…”

The mistakes here are Madonna’s and she’s finally ready to forgive.

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Video shared online appears to shows Argentina fans fighting with each other, and throwing bins on the streets of Atlanta

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Newly-released footage seems to show Argentina fans brawling and throwing various items, including bottles and furniture, before the World Cup clash with England. Chaos erupted on the streets of Atlanta in the US ahead of the semi final clash between England and Argentina.

Tensions ahead of the vital game looked to become to much for two groups of Argentina fans as they began brawling with each other last night (July 14). Footage on social media showed bins being thrown among kicks and punches towards each other, reports the Daily Star.

However, tensions ahead of the vital game looked to become to much for two groups of Argentina fans as they began brawling with each other last night (July 14). Footage on social media showed bins being thrown among kicks and punches towards each other.

It is currently unknown how the incident unfolded as the two groups squared up to each other before one appeared to back down.

However, the retreating side just picked up further things to throw before local police got involved in keeping the two groups apart.

It is currently unknown if anyone was arrested over the incident as the groups appeared to disperse following police intervention.

It comes as England’s fans nerves have been eased as Thomas Tuchel has announced his Three Lions team to face Messi’s Argentina.

Morgan Rogers has been handed a start as Thomas Tuchel made three changes for England’s World Cup semi-final with Argentina.

Rogers replaced Noni Madueke on the right of the attack with full-backs Reece James and Djed Spence also coming into the side.

John Stones and Marc Guehi continue their central defensive partnership, meaning Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly drop out.

Declan Rice starts again in midfield having had to come off at half-time of the Norway game still feeling the affects of a bug he picked up in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Argentina named five Premier League players in their side, with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister all starting for the defending champions.

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“We do a full review after every tournament,” he told reporters. “You want to look at how well you’ve done, who are you drawn against, what was the mood in the camp, how were things going behind the scenes, and what was the complete package, and where did things go well, where they did not.

Vice President JD Vance sought last week to use a military helicopter to ferry himself and his son across Washington for a golf lesson, one of a number of allegedly unusual travel requests that has left the Republican’s security detail “fed up,” MS Now reports.

The alleged travel plans aboard Marine Two were ultimately canceled due to weather, but Secret Service agents nonetheless discussed it among themselves unhappily, according to the outlet.

Past vice presidents have had Secret Service agents drive their children to activities, rather than use military hardware, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per hour to operate.

A series of last-minute travel requests, known as “off the record” movements, has reportedly led to anger and low morale within the detail.

“The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR [off the record],” a source familiar with the mood inside the service told MS Now. “He [Vance] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. Senator.”

The Independent has contacted the vice president’s office for comment.

“When U.S. Secret Service Special Agents choose to join a protective detail, they understand the commitment required: long hours, frequent travel, and the need for constant flexibility,” Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said in a statement. “Nights, weekends, and holidays are part of the job. Our agents work tirelessly to ensure protectees’ safety and security, while also preserving normalcy to the extent possible.”

Vance isn’t the only one reportedly facing scrutiny for his use of security and travel resources.

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly canceled a planned trip to visit his musician girlfriend in Chicago as his plane was on the tarmac Friday when frustrated White House officials summoned him to Washington for a meeting.

“Patel was coming (to Chicago) today for a fake office visit for his girlfriend’s country concert this weekend,” a source briefed on the trip told MS Now.

The outlet reported that while the precise reason for the meeting was unclear, Trump administration officials have been growing increasingly “disturbed” by Patel’s recent actions, including his plans to leave town amid the re-escalation of the Iran war, which has included talk of potential Iranian plots against the president’s life.

Patel has called the reporting “false.”

Democrats in the House and Senate are investigating Patel to see if he misused taxpayer funds for department purchases and recreational travel.

In a July 8 letter, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Dick Durbin alleged Patel had been accused of demanding “perks” during international travel, including “VIP snorkeling” trips in Hawaii, plus jet skiing and a helicopter during FBI business.

The lawmakers also claimed there was concern an FBI attache in Wellington, New Zealand “may have been established in part to facilitate or justify a sightseeing trip there.”

In a previous statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for the FBI said the allegations in the letter are “completely false.”

Patel has “reimbursed ALL personal travel and expenses, strictly following the Office of Management and Budget rules, in the exact same manner as all previous FBI Directors — and is fully compliant,” the bureau said.

The Secret Service has struggled in recent years with understaffing and high workloads. The agency was understaffed by more than 20 percent in 2024 when a gunman attempted to kill Donald Trump during a campaign rally, an inspector general report released this month found.

The 1986 World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina is now best known for Diego Maradona‘s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal – which saw the Three Lions knocked out of the tournament in Mexico.

But another kind of divine intervention was at work for two spectators in the stands at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City that day.

Ollie Craxton, then 28, a local government worker from Ealing, west London, had jetted out with a group of primary school friends to watch the match, as well as several others in the contest.

Meanwhile, Sofia Larrinua, a then 21-year-old chemistry student from Mexico City, had bagged a last-minute ticket to accompany her pals to the now legendary game.

Following a series of incredible coincidences, they were seated next to each other – and the romance of a lifetime soon unfolded, with the pair marrying four years later, before eventually settling in Hackney, east London, where they still live now.

The couple returned to the Azteca stadium for the first time earlier this month, to watch England’s eventual 3-2 win against Mexico at this year’s World Cup.

And now, four decades on from the controversial England-Argentina match that brought Ollie and Sofia together, the two nations are set to face each other again, at the semi-final of this year’s tournament on Wednesday night.

Ahead of the potentially history-making game, Sofia, now 61, sat down with the Daily Mail to tell the couple’s amazing story – and offer her thoughts on the upcoming match.

The pair have now been married nearly 40 years – and returned to the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, where they met, for the first time earlier this month, to watch this year’s World Cup. Pictured: Ollie and Sofia on their recent visit to the stadium

Now, four decades on from the controversial England-Argentina match that brought Ollie and Sofia together, the two nations are set to face each other again, at the semi-final of this year’s tournament on Wednesday night. Pictured: Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal 

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In 1986, Ollie, now 68, and his friends had decided to take ‘a holiday of a lifetime’, Sofia said, and head to Mexico to watch several of the World Cup games.

But about three weeks before the tournament started, he received the devastating news that the travel agency he had used to buy the trip had scammed him and several other customers, taking their money without actually making any bookings.

After selling his brand new car to his dad to make some quick cash and rebook (‘he was hoping to impress girls with his car,’ Sofia joked), he was thankfully still able to go on part of the holiday – and, crucially, attend the quarter-final.

Sofia and her friends, meanwhile, had developed a love for the England team in 1985 when they came to Mexico City for pre-World Cup friendlies against Germany, Italy and Mexico.

‘We used to go to hotels to have coffee and breakfast as university students and one day, we were in the lobby of this hotel and suddenly, this group of gorgeous-looking men came over,’ she said.

‘We go, “Oh my God, it’s the Italian football team!” And it wasn’t.

‘I remember, there was this nice man with this very nice pair of thighs and he had on these very small shorts with three lions on.

‘I thought, “What is that?” And then I just made a connection. I thought, “I’ve seen those before”, and then I thought, “Oh my God, it’s England!”. And those legs belonged to Gary Lineker.’

She continued: ‘We became like groupies to them. We were just following them. We would go and wait for them and wave at them.

‘Bobby Robson was so sweet. He would just wave and say, “Hello, girls!”, and he was very kind… We were like the little girls following the Beatles.’

It meant she and her pals were delighted to discover the Three Lions were set to play in her native Mexico City at the quarter-final.

Sofia, however, was facing a dilemma: she had a university exam the day after the match – so she initially told her friends she would have to miss the game, in order to do some final revision.

Eventually, though, her pals convinced her to abandon her pre-exam studies – some of the last of her degree, which she was about to finish – so she could accompany them.

But while they had all immediately bought tickets, Sofia’s last-minute decision meant she was left without one – and she only ended up snagging one after a serendipitous encounter.

‘I drove to the Azteca Stadium and I thought, “Well, I must find somebody on the resale”,’ she explained – and she soon found someone, inexplicably, reselling their ticket, who came to her ‘like an angel’.

‘And when I got out of the car, I found this man with a child who came to me and he said, “Would you like to buy my ticket?” And I said, “Yeah, I would.”

‘So, I bought it on resale for the equivalent of about $5, at the time. It was that easy!’

Sofia (pictured), now 61, had developed a love for the England team in 1985 when they came to her native Mexico City for pre-World Cup friendlies – so she was delighted when, the next year, she found out the Three Lions were returning to the city for the actual World Cup 

Ollie, now 68, meanwhile had decided to take ‘a holiday of a lifetime’ with his friends, Sofia said, and head to Mexico to watch several of the World Cup games – including the quarter-final. Pictured: One of the couple’s original tickets to the match 

Snagging a last-minute ticket to support England at the quarter-final, Sofia (pictured with Ollie) found herself seated next to an Englishman who would go on to be her husband

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Ollie and Sofia (pictured together more recently) soon got chatting, bonding over their shared love of Manchester United – and a whirlwind holiday romance ensued 

After Ollie returned to London, the pair (pictured later, at the London 2012 Olympics) spent the next year calling and writing letters to each other

She was also saving up to visit him in the UK, which she did several times over the next few years – and it only saw their love blossom even more, before Ollie proposed in 1989. Pictured: The couple with friends, in an older photograph 

They quickly fell in love and were married four years later. Pictured: Ollie and Sofia’s wedding day 

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‘We have so many things in common. We like travelling and music and we like doing things. We have had a very active life,’ said Sofia (pictured with Ollie on their wedding day) 

She said she soon headed for her seat: ‘I came to this section where I was surrounded by Argentinian supporters and I had an England T-shirt on.

‘At the time, it was very soon after the Falklands War had finished so there was a lot of animosity between Argentinians and English people so I felt very unsafe and wanted to move.’

Again, serendipity served: a stranger offered to swap their ticket with hers so she could sit with her friends in the English end of the stadium.

When they arrived, Sofia saw they would be sat next to a group of young Englishmen, including Ollie, who was also not sitting in his ticketed seat, having moved to join the English end too.

Sofia recalls: ‘I looked at this Englishman smiling at us and at the time, I felt very self-conscious – I was only 21, I was very shy and so I thought, “Oh I’m not going to sit next to these guys”.’

The girls tried sitting in two other sets of seats to avoid the men but were both times eventually kicked out when the original ticketholders arrived to claim their spots.

With the match about to start and only one space in the stands left, they eventually resolved to sit next to the smiling Englishman – a decision that would change Ollie and Sofia’s lives forever.

She later found out the reason for his grinning: ‘He saw these three Mexican girls wearing England T-shirts and he thought, “Oh my God, that’s nice.

‘”There are some nice Mexican girls here and they’re young and it would be nice to chat to them”.’

Ollie and Sofia quickly got chatting, bonding over their shared love of Manchester United – and he soon won her admiration for looking out for the girls among the rowdy crowds.

‘The English fans had put up flags on the fences but at the time of the national anthems, the Argentinians started burning the English flags,’ Sofia explained.

‘The English people got very upset and there was a bit of a brawl. But before all this, Ollie said to me, “If there is a problem, don’t worry, I’ll protect you”.

‘At the time, he was a very skinny young man and I thought, “Yeah, protect me? I don’t think so!”

‘Then, when the brawl started, everybody moved but Ollie stayed there trying to protect us. I thought, “Oh my God, that’s really nice”.’

The pair enjoyed the now iconic quarter-final together, which saw Maradona accused of illegally using his left hand to score the ‘Hand of God’ goal.

Only four minutes later, he then also scored the ‘Goal of the Century’, having dashed some 60 yards down the field, taking Argentina to their eventual 2-1 victory over England.

‘We didn’t have children because we were so happy doing nice things! We bypassed that,’ added Sofia (pictured with Ollie more recently)

Ollie has now retired from his career in local government and Sofia is semi-retired from her career as a food anthropologist, now spending much of her time on art and textiles 

But in the nearly four decades – and counting – they have spent together, they have never had a chance to return to the Azteca stadium

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This year’s World Cup, however, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, offered the perfect opportunity. Pictured: Ollie and Sofia at England’s round of 16 match against Mexico earlier this month 

And just as they did on the day the couple (pictured) met, England are now set to face off Argentina again, at the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night

‘I don’t want to say it but I’ve got a feeling that England is going to win this because they have got a very good team,’ said Sofia 

This time, Ollie and Sofia are set to watch the Three Lions battle Argentina not from the Azteca stadium – but from their local working men’s club in north London. Pictured: A newspaper clipping marking their 20th wedding anniversary 

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Sofia said: ‘He plainly cheated. He scored with his hand and we saw that – we were at the top. We saw the whole thing and the referee didn’t see it and so that was very upsetting.’

After the final whistle, she offered to show Ollie and his friends around Mexico City, before eventually going to have drinks together at their hotel.

The pair soon embarked on a holiday romance, as did one of her friends and one of his – but while the others’ relationship ended after three months, Ollie and Sofia kept theirs going.

After he returned to London, the pair spent the next year calling and writing letters to each other: ‘The telephone bills were really expensive – it was a very, very expensive rate to call Mexico.’

She was also saving up to visit him in the UK, which she did several times over the next few years – and it only saw their love blossom even more.

Ollie proposed in 1989 on top of the historic Teotihuacán pyramids, near Mexico City. Sofia said: ‘I didn’t want to climb it and Ollie kept saying, “You’ll want to climb this, it’s going to be worth your while!”‘

The pair were married a year later, she said: ‘We have so many things in common. We like travelling and music and we like doing things. We have had a very active life.

‘We have been to many parts of the world and many nice things together, like Wimbledon and Glastonbury and all kinds of things. We were very happy doing these things.

‘We didn’t have children because we were so happy doing nice things! We bypassed that.’

Ollie has now retired from his career in local government and Sofia is semi-retired from her career as a food anthropologist, now spending much of her time on art and textiles. ‘We’re just enjoying this second part of our lives,’ she said.

But in the nearly four decades – and counting – they have spent together, they have never had a chance to return to the Azteca stadium.

This year’s World Cup, however, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, offered the perfect opportunity.

The couple went to England’s round of 16 match against Mexico at the arena on July 5, wearing the T-shirts they had on – as well as the cap Sofia was wearing, and later gifted to Ollie – when they met in those very same stands.

And just as they did on that fateful day, England are now set to face off Argentina again, at the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

Sofia said: ‘I don’t want to say it but I’ve got a feeling that England is going to win this because they have got a very good team.

‘I’m just hoping there won’t be anything controversial, red cards or anything silly like that. It’s just amazing and magical they’re meeting again – and hopefully this time, it will be a better result.’

This time, Ollie and Sofia are set to watch the Three Lions battle Argentina not from the Azteca stadium – but from their local working men’s club in north London.

Argentina scored two late goals to secure their spot in the final against Spain in Atlanta, after England’s Anthony Gordon netted a 55th-minute goal following a scoreless first half.

The Prince of Wales has expressed a strong passion for football, often seen cheering on Aston Villa FC.

“Thank you to everyone on and off the pitch, for an incredible tournament,” his statement said.

The Royal Family joined in reacting to England’s loss.

“Commiserations to Harry and the team,” a post on its social media read, sharing a photo of England captain Harry Kane sombrely embracing Jude Bellingham.

The statement continued: “While you Three Lions may be licking your wounds today, you remain the pride of a nation – and will rise again.”

Sir Keir’s final address to the House of Commons as prime minister on Wednesday had also featured multiple references to the English side’s nervous build-up to the knock-out match.

“Tonight wasn’t the result we all hoped for,” Sir Keir said in a statement after the full-time whistle was blown. “But this England team has given it their all.”