Estimates of the number of viewers for the England-Ukraine match last Saturday vary between 250,000 and 500,000. Millions of supporters missed out on the World Cup qualifier because they refused to stump up between £4.99 and £11.99 to catch the action online, while many of those who did watch complained of a lack of atmosphere and slow streaming speeds during the dissapointing 1-0 defeat.

The match was the first-ever international shown exclusively online. Twelve cinemas across the UK also screened the game and troops watched for free on the British Forces Broadcasting Service. The BBC did a last-minute deal to show highlights, but agreed not to announce the programme until after the live broadcast.

The organisation responsible for the screening said there were ‘no issues’ with the broadcast, but the verdict is still out on whether watching a stream on your laptop can ever replicate the experience of watching on your big screen TV or at the pub.