[Frank Cunha]

Euro-England, Croatia keep Lisbon partying



(recasts with pre-match colour)

By Karen Iley

LISBON, June 21 (Reuters) - Red and white replaced red and green as England and Croatia followers flocked to central Lisbon on Monday determined to continue the party spirit that followed Portugal's advance to the Euro 2004 quarter-finals.

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Just hours before the match, fans clad in the distinctive checkerboard shirts of Croatia listened with puzzled expressions to England supporters singing songs harking back to World War Two as they scaled the statue in the capital's Rossio Square.

"The English fans are really fantastic. They always impress us with their passion," said Kristijan Zulle, the owner of a spa centre in Rijeka, brushing away one of hundreds of Saint George flags once again smothering the plaza.

"We were a little afraid before (the tournament) but we've been eating and drinking with guys from England and there has been no trouble," he added.

Young and old mingled together, with 11-month old Tommy Ladlow from Essex, shaded in his pushchair but resplendent in his "England footy star" bib sleeping through the din.

Attracting lots of attention in her England shirt with Great Grandma emblazoned across the back, 73-year-old Marion Spong was eagerly awaiting her first ever football match.

"It's wonderful. I've had my photograph taken with England and Croatia fans -- that was so sweet," said Spong, whose great-grandson Max is less than a month old. "I'm going to take lots of pictures and frame this shirt for Max when he's older."

England face Croatia in their final Group B match needing at least a draw to advance to the last eight, where they could meet the hosts following Portugal's historic 1-0 win over neighbours Spain on Sunday. Nothing less than a win will do for Croatia.

For fans of both teams, the prospect of meeting the hosts in the quarters was adding to the excitement.

"Portugal versus England would be huge, unbelievable," said Darren Hill, an IT manager from Sheffield. "You saw what it was like here last night -- it will be just fantastic."

BLEARY EYED

The Portuguese, still bleary eyed after a night of noisy celebrations, were eagerly looking forward to the quarter-finals.

Alberto Teixeira, a restaurant owner, predicted England would beat Croatia and meet Portugal on Thursday.

"For me, (Portugal and England) are the two best teams in the European championships, even though England have not really shown its team yet," he said.

Following the peaceful festivities last night, when elated revellers filled Lisbon streets, honking horns and waving the national flag, both sets of fans were keen to take a leaf out of Portugal's book.

"It's been great so far," said Stephan Haramincic, a driver from Zagreb, posing for photographs with three England fans.

"The England fans have been good so far but we will see after the match their reaction," he said, predicting a 3-2 win for Croatia.

Robert Thompson, a prison officer from Sunderland, praised the Portuguese people for giving English fans a "fantastic welcome," after a Lisbon resident provided him and his pals a personal escort from the city centre to the stadium.

"He drove us half way round town. You couldn't get a nicer gesture," he said.

Around 12,000 Croatia fans and in excess of 40,000 England supporters are expected to head to the match at Lisbon's Luz stadium which kicks off at 1845 GMT. In the other Group B decider, Switzerland play France in Coimbra.