Bring the noise! Tartan Army descends on London ahead of Scotland v England

Scottish fans chant No Scotland, no party' as thousands travel to London for Euros 2020 match

On the quiet, sodden streets of central London, you heard them long before you saw them. It might have been only half a dozen fans, wearing disposable ponchos and clutching plastic bags of cans, but they sounded like a battalion. When you hear that noise of the Tartan Army boys, we'll be coming down the road."

On Friday, for one afternoon only, Soho belonged to Scotland. The Euro 2020 fixture with England at Wembley had been preceded by a week of warnings: of 20,000 Scots descending on the English capital, of hordes of kilted masses wandering the streets without tickets or a pre-booked pub table to call their own. It was a situation that necessitated interventions from the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, and the UK government's sports minister, Nigel Huddleston. Remember you are guests in London at the moment, so make sure you behave in a way that shows the Tartan Army at its best," said Sturgeon on Friday. There were other calls for calm and consideration for public safety, which were absent for the 12,000-a-day crowds attending Royal Ascot earlier in the week.