Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

England vs Wales halftime act Chesney Hawkes called ‘standout performer’ after poor first half

Singer made random appearance at sporting event

Jacob Stolworthy
Tuesday 29 November 2022 15:58 EST
Comments
England and Wales teams sing national anthems ahead of historic World Cup match

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The England vs Wales World Cup match had a surprise cameo in the form of Chesney Hawkes.

Singer Hawkes performed his 1991 No 1 hit single “I Am the One and Only” during halftime at the match in Qatar.

After what was an underwhelming first half for both sides, those in attendance quipped that Hawkes was the standout performer of the evening.

The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delany tweeted: “Chesney Hawkes is playing ‘The One and Only’ at half-time in England vs Wales. I have no idea why this is happening.”

“Chesney Hawkes singing ‘I Am The One Only’ at halftime might just be the highlight so far... yes, it’s been that bad,” football writer John Cross added.

Daily Mail’s northern football correspondent, Dominic King, praised: “One verse and one chorus in and Chesney Hawkes is already the best performer of the night.”

Referring to the BBC’s coverage of the event, led by Gary Lineker, The Times reporter Elizabeth Ammon wrote: ”Please stop these five blokes talking and show me Chesney Hawkes.”

Meanwhile, @DrBeauBeaumont said: ‘This entire nation is being robbed of a Chesney Hawkes halftime show right now.”

Perhaps inspired by the claims, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden began the second half by scoring two goals within a minute of each other. Rashford scored another goal 17 minutes later.

Find all the live coverage from the match here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in