Fans miss start of England vs Slovakia at Wembley after long queues outside to get into the stadium

ENGLAND took the field to a decidedly empty-looking Wembley for their World Cup qualifier with Slovakia.

Long queues formed outside the stadium as the 7.45pm kick-off approached meaning a fair few missed the start of the game.

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Reuters

Most of the top tier looked like it hadn't been sold at all.

The expected attendance was in the region of 70,000, but there were far fewer than that magic figure in the stadium as the game kicked off.

There were pictures on social media of long queues outside the stadium in the lead up to the game.

There was also a problem for hundreds of fans who had bought tickets online.

With the ground not at full capacity, a number of turnstiles were not opened and some stewards felt this was a factor.

Three Lions fans Stephen Tuttle, 37, of Hayes, Middlesex, said: “I have never seen queues like this before and I come to most of the England games.

Reuters

“It has not helped that not all the turnstiles are open, even though the game is obviously not a sell-out. We will ask for a refund”

Carl Peck, 40, from Rushden, Northants, said: “Some people got in quickly but those going up to the higher levels are all being body searched and it is taking ages.”

Ironically, the Slovakian fans filled their section.

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But many fans missed a vital piece of action as Stanislav Lobotka quickly put Slovakia ahead.