3 LIE-INS Harry Kane hopes fans will enjoy ‘all-nighters’ & ‘catch up on sleep after’ as they roar on England for 1am Mexico clash

ENGLAND skipper Harry Kane wants fans back home to party until sunrise as they roar on the Three Lions against Mexico in the early hours.

His rallying cry came as our goal hero prepared to lead the team in the cauldron of Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for the do-or-die clash. Kick-off is at 1am after a Fifa U-turn on plans to move it forward six hours due to storm forecasts.

The idea caused chaos for hours before bosses heeded complaints by both England and Mexico camps.

And the BBC was forced to deny claims that it was involved in lobbying Fifa for the earlier start.

Millions of fans are now expected to stay up across Britain, despite the threat of weather delays — as ­licensing changes allow pubs to stay open until 5am. Asked if he was hoping to see fans nursing happy hangovers on Monday morning, Bayern Munich superstar Harry, 32, replied: “Absolutely!”

He added: “It’s obviously good news that the pubs are open for the fans.

“We know how much the World Cup means to everyone. So I’m hoping there’ll be a few all-nighters, just going all the way through — celebrating into the next day, then catch up on some sleep after that.”

It will be the first Three Lions game at the iconic 82,500-capacity arena since Diego Maradona’s Hand of God goal for Argentina in 1986. But Kane — whose two goals against DR Congo in the last round take his tally so far to five, and his all-time World Cup total to a record 13 — said he and the boys are determined to claim a last-16 victory.

He went on: “What makes the World Cup unique is the different memories you create. Everyone would love nothing more than to be celebrating as the sun’s rising at 5-6am.” Fifa is now forecasting rain and a temperature of 17C for the showdown, starting at 6pm local time — and warned of “lightning activity which may temporarily affect outdoor operations”.

Fifa rules say that any lightning within an eight-mile radius of the stadium will halt the game for 30 minutes. If further strikes are reported, the clock starts again.

Many fans back home were delighted as reports swirled on Friday of plans for a 7pm kick-off — but there were fears those heading to the game could miss it completely.

England superfan and dad-of-seven Owen Pickering, who has spent £20,000 on his World Cup, said: “There are nine of us and we wouldn’t have made it in time.

“We’re having to fly to Orlando, then Tampa and then Mexico City. We would’ve been heartbroken.”

The finance worker, from Crawley, West Sussex, added: “A lot of fans would have been in the same position. Fifa seem to have had no thought about anyone travelling.”

England boss Thomas Tuchel and his squad knew nothing of the kick-off chaos until journalists asked them how such a switch would affect their preparations. Despite a police ring of steel and attempts to keep secret the exact location of the team’s five-star hotel in the suburb of Santa Fe, hundreds of Mexico fans had gathered to jeer their arrival.

Previous opponents Ecuador filed an official complaint to Fifa about being kept awake by crowds blasting car horns and loud speakers and revving up motorbikes.

Meanwhile around 500,000 fans were expected to watch the game in the 6,000 pubs expected to use the 5am licence extension.

Another 21 million pints will be drunk at home, while 13 million viewers could mean the country’s biggest night-time TV audience since 1969’s Moon landing.