'Gareth Southgate's barmy army' sang a man wearing a vintage 1990 England shirt, with a flag of St George draped around his neck, as he walked arm-in-arm with his pal through the huge swinging doors.
All around this cavernous Northern Quarter venue were the words Road to Victory, the official name of one of the city's biggest Euros fan parks, this year being housed at Diecast.
And for the hundreds of Mancunian Three Lions fans who packed in to roar them on, the road to victory started here in earnest. READ MORE England v Serbia live - score, Bellingham goal, stream and updates after supporters clash Before the match, you could have been forgiven for thinking you were in Marbella, not Manchester as fans sank beers and sipped cocktails as they soaked up some rarely seen summer sun in the beer garden.
But as kick-off approached, the enormous beer hall, big enough to house 2,000 fans, with a giant projector screen at the front and several more dotted around, began to fill up.