Fans, whether on site or in front of their televisions, had to be patient to watch the start of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid on Saturday 28 May. Due to significant difficulties in accessing the Stade de France, the most important match of the season started 36 minutes late.
After 9 p.m., the time originally scheduled for kick-off, a journalist from Agence France-Presse noted various intrusions at the level of the stadium forecourt, at least twenty young people having managed to pass. Earlier, others tried to force a first filtering barrage of police. Tear gas was fired to prevent a few dozen young people from climbing barriers.
“Do not force entry to the Stade de France,” the Paris police headquarters tweeted in a message written in French, English and Spanish. It had deployed 6,800 police, gendarmes and firefighters to ensure the security of the match, with an eye on the thousands of Reds fans who came without tickets.
Over 300 million viewers
Due to the wait, the Liverpool players returned from the locker room and resumed their warm-up on the lawn at 9:07 p.m. Their Madrid opponents followed them a few minutes later. After about ten minutes on the pitch, in a surreal atmosphere, they returned to the locker room.
This setback spoiled the great party that started during the day in Paris and Saint-Denis, in the “fan zones” of the two teams. Nearly 30,000 Reds fans notably painted the Vincennes course in the French capital red, in a good-natured atmosphere.
At 9:36 p.m., finally, place in the “most important match in world football”, in the words of the Italian coach of Real, Carlo Ancelotti: Karim Benzema against Sadio Mané, Ancelotti against Jürgen Klopp, the revenge of Mohamed Salah …
More than 300 million viewers from around the world were expected in front of their TV for this unmissable event, according to the boss of the Canal Plus Group, which produces the match.
No star has missed the call on the ground. Midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho, an uncertain time, were good starters for the English, according to their club. On the Spanish side, an unsurprising ‘eleven’ started, with a five-star midfield consisting of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos.
The ‘White House’ can extend their incredible record with a 14th trophy, and the Reds claim a seventh to join AC Milan as the second-tier European giants.
Liverpool-Real become the first poster to play three times in the Champions League final, but this classic is furiously modern: it will shed light on the duel for the Ballon d’Or between Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané. To win this prestigious prize, which will be awarded in October, Benzema will be a huge favorite in the event of a European coronation on Saturday.
