(Saint-Denis) After the chaos to access the Stade de France, which spoiled the party involving tens of thousands of supporters, the dream Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid started on Saturday with 36 minutes of delay.
Posted at 3:58 p.m.
Tear gas, intrusion attempts by climbing barriers, crowds gathered and impatient… The atmosphere did not rise as hoped, during the hours preceding the most important match of the season.
Photo REUTERS, REUTERS
Police arrested the man outside the stadium.
After 9 p.m., the time initially scheduled for kick-off, an AFP journalist 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, AFP noted.
“Do not force entry to the Stade de France”, warned on Twitter in French, English and Spanish the Paris police headquarters, which had deployed 6,800 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters to ensure the security of the match, with an eye on the thousands of “Reds” fans who came without tickets.
Faced with 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 spoils the beautiful party started during the day in Paris and Saint-Denis, in the areas of supporters of the two teams. Nearly 30,000 fans of the “Reds” notably painted the course of Vincennes, in the French capital, red in a good-natured atmosphere.
On the pitch, it’s time for “the most important match in world soccer”, as Real’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti puts it: Karim Benzema against Sadio Mané, Ancelotti against Jürgen Klopp, Mohamed Salah’s revenge…
Photo PAUL ELLIS, Agence France-Presse
Real Madrid take on Liverpool at the Stade de France.
More than 300 million viewers from all over the world were expected in front of their televisions for this unmissable event, according to the boss of the Canal Plus Group, which produces the match.
No star missed the call on the ground. Midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho, an uncertain time, are good starters for the English, according to their club.
On the Spanish side, an unsurprising “eleven” started, with a five-star midfielder, made up of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos.
The “White House” can extend its incredible record with a 14e trophy, and the “Reds” conquer a seventh and join AC Milan in second place among the European giants.
Liverpool-Real becomes the first poster played three times in the C1 final, but this classic is furiously modern: it will clarify 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 European coronation on Saturday.
Mané, he missed the Premier League by one point, beaten by Manchester City, but he won the two national cups in England.
The striker also guided Senegal to their first African Cup of Nations in February against partner Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.
The latter, another candidate for the Ballon d’Or, had to abandon the previous final against Real in Kyiv in 2018, injured after a muscular intervention by Sergio Ramos.
A beautiful more than a revenge
Rather than a revenge, it is a beautiful one, since Liverpool had won the first final, in 1981 (1-0), at the Parc des Princes, at a time when the Stade de France, built for the 1998 World Cup , did not exist.
This title remained in the memories of Liverpool fans, who swept over Paris where we had not seen so many soccer fans since Euro 2016.
The final also offered a superb duel of coaches.
Twice an unfortunate finalist, with Dortmund in 2013 and Liverpool in 2018, the German Jürgen Klopp learned to win the following year.
On the other bench, the Italian “Mister” Carlo Ancelotti, who directs his men with an eyebrow movement, is a great specialist in the event, which he has already won three times as coach, with AC Milan (2003, 2007) and during a first visit to Madrid (2014).
However, Liverpool also reminds him of a bad memory: in 2005, his Milan led 3-0 in the final before being brought up in six minutes by the Reds and losing on penalties (3-3 after, 3 on pens). 2).
But this season, it is the Real of “Carletto” which has specialized in fantastic comebacks. Swallowed PSG (0-1, 3-1), jostled Chelsea (3-1, 2-3 ap), knocked down Manchester City (3-4, 3-1 ap)!
It remained to be hoped that the organizational problems would not prevent the smooth running of this dream final…