Despite a long and tiring Saturday at MCM Comic Con, I was raring to go for the NFL International Series game between the Washington Redskins and the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley on Sunday.

Decked out in my Green Bay Packers gear, I made my way to the stadium with the day’s festival atmosphere kicking off on the journey in from Waterloo Station.

It’s this atmosphere and the passion of the fans that makes the International Series great. Fans of all 32 NFL teams proudly show off their team colours. The rivalries while serious are jovial and there’s plenty of good natured ribbing going on.

We decided to start our day right, with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before sampling the delights of Wembley catering (pizza good, nachos bad) while waiting for the pregame events to begin.

In a moving ceremony the NFL, together with the Royal British Legion, remembered the servicemen and women, past and present, who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Following a moving dance routine, I had goosebumps when the 84,488 people in the stadium gave a 65-year-old Chelsea Pensioner a standing ovation as he presented the Vice-President of the Bengals with a poppy.

During the national anthems Wembley became a canvas of colour as each spectator held a panel above their heads to create the colours of the UK and US flags.

As we settled down to watch the game, little did we know what a game it would be!

Within minutes of kick-off the Washington Redskins scored a touchdown, which was answered quickly with by the Bengals with a touchdown of their own. Despite things briefly quietening down in the 2^nd quarter, there was never much between the two teams and the scoring continued.

We were sat in the right place when the Redskins charged into the endzone right in front of us to score the International Series’ 100^th touchdown!

Things got tense in the dying moments of the 4^th quarter, with the Bengals missed extra point from earlier in the game coming back to haunt them, as it ended 27-27.

An extra quarter beckoned and Wembley was treated to a full 15 minutes of free football where both teams left it all out on the field as they hunted for the win. The Redskins were the unlucky ones this time as a perfectly timed Bengals timeout did as was intended and messed with the kicker’s head, causing him to miss what would have been the game winning field goal.

Final score Redskins 27, Bengals 27.

Not an outcome either team wanted but one for which they’ll settle and the one which all of Wembley could get behind.

The day’s entertainment didn’t end with football thanks to the Wembley stewards armed with a megaphone, who got the crowd waiting to get into the tube station performing the YMCA. Not a sight I’ll forget in a hurry.

This was without a doubt the best International Series game I’ve seen. Roll on 2017!

E