For me, one of the most important things in my life is football. I love everything about it, and I have a huge passion for it. So, when I found out I was going to Paris to watch the Champions League Final, I was adrenalized. Little did I know, I had to save this adrenalin for later.
The day before the Final had arrived. My dad and I set off in the car towards Paris, red scarves waving out of our windows as we travelled down the motorway. Near enough every single car we had passed had a red scarf or a red flag in and waves and beeps followed us as we edged closer to the channel crossing. Arriving at Folkstone, almost every car has a Liverpool fan in, and this just made me realise that we truly do have the best fans in the world, everyone was smiling and enjoying the journey, looking forward to the Final on the next night. The realisation that we were going to our second final together was slowly coming to us. The 2 and a half hour drive was exciting and full of great views, but coming into Paris was the greatest feeling. After parking up at our accommodation in the suburbs or Paris, we unpacked and went straight to the train station. The 10 minute train journey to Gard Du Nord was quiet and relaxing but the moment we stepped off the train we were met by many Reds coming from all directions. We decided to head into the Latin quarter where we spent the night drinking with fellow reds and singing well into the night.
Waking up on the UCL Final day was a fantastic feeling, even after the lack of sleep. We headed out early to take in the experience that had been handed to us. Going into Paris again and seeing even more Liverpool fans was a great feeling. After eating, we headed off to the fan park. Walking out from the Metro station, we were met by thick red smoke and a sea of reds singing their hearts out. It was truly a great feeling to see that everyone had come together, again it made realise how amazing our fans are.
After hours of singing, we made our way to Stade de France. More singing followed on the train towards the stadium and even more excitement built. 5.38pm. There it was. The stadium where we were all hoping we’d see the 7th European trophy for Liverpool being lifted. We were greeted by queues from the station all the way down to the underpass of the Paris super-périphérique and then from there up to the stadium. Police vans blocked half of the walk way of the path up to the stadium as thousands of reds moved slowly. We finally arrived at the ramp that took us up to the stadium and we were met by French police blocking the walkway, searching everyone that passes. At last, we arrived at the stadium an hour and a half after stepping off the train. Finding that there were no more programmes available, we headed to gate A where, again, we were met by more queues. This time there was a different feeling to it. People were impatient and tired. French youngsters were spread out in the crowds and snuck down the side of the queues pushing in to the front with fake tickets. After 20 minutes of waiting, a gang of French men stormed the gates and found their way into the stadium. With this happening, 4/5 of the gates were shut leading to more waiting and impenitentness. 9.25pm. We get through the gate and make our way up the steps into the stadium, adrenalin had started to wear off and the reality had hit, we had been stood up waiting for 3 hours.
The game whizzed by as it was not what we had hoped. A fantastic performance from Courtois in the Real Madrid goal kept them in the game and it led to Vini Jr scoring the only goal of the game which was a result of a mistake from Trent.
If the events hadn’t occurred outside of the stadium beforehand, maybe the game would have been different. But it wasn’t what we hoped in any way, but to go to a UCL final was amazing. After an amazing season I can say that we truly are the best team in the world, but the boys were just worn out.
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