REVENGE was sweet for David Beckham today after his penalty gave England a superb 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup in Japan.

The England captain, pilloried when he was sent off against the South American giants in the last World Cup, put England fans across York, North and East Yorkshire into dreamland when he converted from the spot after Michael Owen was fouled in the area.

His 44th-minute kick gave England a vital win and put the nation on the verge of a second round appearance.

The win means England need only to draw against Nigeria, on Wednesday, to progress in the competition.

In York, city streets were deserted and fans packed pubs, homes and offices to catch a glimpse of the game.

From first light, York was decked out in red and white as people donned the Three Lions and waited expectantly for the match.

At pubs across the city, landlords had a bumper day as drinkers flooded in to watch the most eagerly anticipated first round tie.

In the Northern Wall pub, in York city centre, the atmosphere was electric.

Staff at the pub, which was packed to the rafters, told fans it was "one-in, one-out", but no one wanted to leave.

The crowd was in fine spirits from 10.10am, when the first fans turned up outside the door to await the 11am opening.

By the time the doors opened, more than 100 people had queued, in a line stretching back to Peasholme Green.

As the players lined up in the tunnel, the landlord played a medley of England football songs on the jukebox, including Three Lions and Vindaloo.

David Beckham's early free kicks were greeted with elation, as was Michael Owen's early shot which bounced off the post.

When England's penalty was awarded, the house erupted. The joy was overflowing.

Meanwhile in Japan, people who had travelled out to the match enjoyed a carnival atmosphere before kick-off.

People wanting to buy tickets held up pieces of card and some touts were asking 45,000 yen (about £250) per ticket.

Many Japanese people wore England shirts and had their faces painted red and white, having adopted England as their favourite team after Japan.

Some England and Argentine fans shook hands in friendship before the game.

Andy Buckle, 37, from York, who now works in IT in Hong Kong, said: "This is a great atmosphere. It's very relaxed - everyone's getting on very well."

Back in York, work stopped and employees huddled around TV screens to take in the nerve-wracking 90 minutes.

Arrangements made by the city's big businesses to let workers watch the game seem to have paid off, with few reports of absenteeism.

At City of York Council, a spokesman said: "Everybody was very sensible about it. A lot of people have taken the time off anyway as an extension of the long Jubilee bank holiday," he added.

Norwich Union also reported a similar situation with no high absenteeism.

There were no official arrangements for match viewing, but TV rooms were available.

A spokesman for York's Nestl plant said half-term and the shorter week meant many workers had booked a holiday for the whole seven-days.

At the Card Protection Plan, in Holgate Park, chiefs revealed that calls plummeted during the match.

A spokesman said: "We did not expect many calls during the match. Our workers were enjoying a barbecue while watching the game."The city centre shopping streets of York were much quieter than usual, but there were many shoppers still out and about.

Updated: 15:13 Friday, June 07, 2002