All in for England, even at 5 a.m.

Usually, the only way you’d find yourself at a bar at five in the morning is that you never went home the night before. But every four years, there’s a better, slightly saner reason: World Cup soccer.

A crowd of about 20 England fans (and one dog) descended in the dead of dawn upon Murphy’s Irish Pub on Sunday, so early that the bar – graciously, if perhaps begrudgedly, opened by its Irish owner — wasn’t yet serving alcohol. The band of ex-pats, Anglophiles and Premier League junkies brought their own doughnuts and breakfast burritos, and a thermos or two of unknown content. Go, England!

The group eagerly awaited a result that would send the ‘home’ side through to the tournament’s next round. They also awaited the first Bloody Mary’s at 6 a.m.

The result was a right thrashing, 6-1 over Panama. With five goals in the first half, the fans were soon shouted-out, happy and confident; the only sustained drama was if one might be able to get home and go back to bed. Even the dog fell asleep.

The next England match will be a Thursday showdown with group co-leader Belgium, with a much more civilized start time of 11 a.m. Murphy’s is showing all the World Cup matches.

— Val Robichaud