- The England and Italy players observed a respected minute’s silence at Wembley
- Both teams paid tribute to two supporters who died in Belgium on Monday evening
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Anger echoed in some parts of Wembley as the England and Italy players observed a minute’s silence before kick-off in tribute to those affected by the terror attack in Brussels on Monday and the ongoing crisis in Israel.
Belgium’s match against Sweden was abandoned at half-time when news broke that a gunman was on the loose in the capital after killing two people. The police eventually shot the attacker dead.
Thousands of supporters were locked in the King Baudouin Stadium for their own safety before being released in the early hours of the morning.
Tributes followed in honor of the two victims who tragically lost their lives, with players from England and Italy also paying their respects before tonight’s match.
UEFA confirmed plans to observe a ‘moment of silence’ earlier in the day via their official X channel, with supporters gathered at Wembley Stadium also asked to respect the occasion.
England and Italy players observed a minute’s silence before kick-off at Wembley ahead of tonight’s European Championship qualifier
England players and Italian stars observed a moment of silence before kick-off at Wembley
Italian head coach Luciano Spalletti observed the moment of respect with his coaching staff in the dugout
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The European governing body tweeted: “A moment of silence will be observed at all UEFA EUR0 2024 qualifying matches tonight in memory of the two victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Brussels, ahead of the match between Belgium and Sweden.”
However, the silence was occasionally broken as sections of the fans around the ground shouted as the moment was watched.
At the end of the commemorative silence, the stadium roared encouragement for the respective teams.
Terrified Belgian and Swedish supporters were locked up in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Monday after two fans were shot dead. The match was stopped at halftime
Extra security was put in place at Wembley in response to Monday’s terrifying attack
While trapped inside the King Baudouin Stadium on Monday evening, Belgian supporters started singing ‘All Together, All Together’ in solidarity with Swedish fans
Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti stood in his dugout, wearing a black suit and tie, surrounded by his coaching team, before clapping as soon as the whistle blew to signal the match was ready to start.
Gareth Southgate similarly observed the moment as both groups of players – standing separately – linked arms with teammates around the center circle.
Wembley stepped up security before the match in response to the incident in Brussels which happened just miles from the stadium where Belgium and Sweden were playing.
Extra police officers were called in ahead of England’s match against Italy, with the Metropolitan Police insisting in a statement on Tuesday that fans will be ‘reassured’ by a ‘highly visible’ security presence at the match.