[PHOTOS] I Went To Madrid To Watch The Champions League Final And It Was Insanely Epic
Liverpool fans singing, “Allez, Allez, Allez"!
By Loh Ken Wei — 07 Jun 2019, 04:29 PM
Liverpool, Champions of Europe for the sixth time!
What a journey it was for the Reds recording a comprehensive 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspurs in the Champions League Final!
While the match itself may not have been as pulsating a comeback as the 4-0 win over Barcelona or rival that of Moura’s heroic hat-trick against Ajax for Tottenham, the atmosphere at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium (home of Atlético Madrid) was nothing short of EPIC… and we were there to witness it.
Thanks to the generous folks at Heineken Malaysia, we were invited to an all-expense paid trip to experience the Champions League Final in Madrid!
Here are 7 most "unmissable moments" from the trip:
1. We were super excited to visit Madrid for the first time! Our Hop-On, Hop Off Bus transported us to all the touristy spots: plazas, museums, manicured parks, and historical European monuments.
Puerta de Alcalá is a national monument of Spain, a triumphal arch built to celebrate the arrival of King Charles III to Madrid.
Image via postimg.cc
The Reina Sofia Museum which houses originals from Salvador Dali and Picasso (yes, they're Spanish!)
Image via Loh Ken Wei
2. We loved how Madrid was filled with festive cheer as football pretty much took over the city
Inflatable trophies, massive flags draped over buildings, and an overall buzz in the city gearing up for the final!
3. You could hear football chants by notorious English fans from practically every corner of every street. Liverpool fans FLOODED Madrid!
4. As typical Malaysians, we took our time eating (and drinking) our way around Madrid ;)
We were treated to churros from San Gines, Spain's most famous churros store
Image via Native Spanish Tapas
5. On the eve of the final match, there were all sorts of pre-match activities hosted by our dear friends at Heineken
How about a beautiful dinner in a regal garden villa, with Andrea Pirlo as special guest and the Champions League trophy hovering over the balcony?
6. Prior to entering the stadium, we visited the Champions Village that proved to be the perfect build-up
The Champions Village is a special hospitality zone where fans get to chill before a match - there's food, drinks, contests to win merchandise, entertainment, even football jugglers to keep the adrenaline pumping.
7. And finally, the moment we were all waiting for… the Champions League Final! It’s one thing to cheer on TV, but it's something else to watch the match LIVE with 67,000 other football fans
As a Liverpool fan, watching the Reds play live in such a monumental match (and win) was indeed an experience like no other
After reading so much about the passion of the famous 'Kopites' (a.k.a. Liverpool fans), to hear them belt out “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before kickoff can bring a grown man to tears.
Before we even got settled into our seats, Salah was already lining up his penalty in the first minute. GOAL! 1-0 Liverpool and the entire red side of the stadium was bouncing!
As the match progressed, it was fun to chime in “Allez Allez Allez” with the fans and chant about how Mo-Salah was “running down the wing”.
As Tottenham turned up the heat in the dying minutes of the game, there were one or two toe-cringing moments with good chances by Eriksen and Son. But as you would know, super-sub Origi came on to score late in the game to calm our jittery nerves!The stadium exploded with a roar and we knew then that the cup was in our hands.
Cue thunderous celebrations as the Reds lifted their 6th Champion League trophy ever and eyes swelled up again to the final verse of “You’ll Never Walk Alone…”
A heartfelt thanks to our sponsors Heineken for letting us experience the #unmissablemoment!
