Tears of Salah: how the final of the Champions League was held in Kyiv

The main arena for leisure of fans was the town “Festival of Champions” on Khreshchatyk. Most people mistakenly called it the fan zone of the final game and were very disappointed, when they realized that in the evening, on May 26, on the huge screen there will not be a live broadcast of the match. However, there were different things. First of all, the main trophy of the Champions League – cup, which, paradoxically, during the final games of the women’s and men’s championships could be photographed much faster and easier than on the eve, during the scandalous tour of Ukraine (remember, the legendary trophy visited such Ukrainian cities like Kherson, Mariupol, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv and Lviv).

There were dozens of different locations for leisure on Khreschatyk: the Champions League museum, brand shops, a big stage with cool music (DakhaBraha, TNMK, DJ Omnia, Hardwell, etc.), football freestyle performances and a full football field, where on May 25 played matches world-famous football veterans: “Legends of Real”, “Legends of Liverpool”, “Legends of UEFA” and the team “Andrii Shevchenko and friends” “It’s just incredible. I never thought that I would see real legends – Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Jerzy Dudek, – a man of about 50 says to someone on the phone, dressed in the uniform of the Ukrainian team. – Wait… Clarence Seedorf has just passed by me. I will call you back”. Photosessions and autograph sessions with famous football players for many people have become a climax moment, which people will remember all their lives.

There were no special difficulties with hitting the “Festival of Champions”. Passage was free. Crowds of fans – mostly in white and red (the color of “Real” and “Liverpool”) – literally “floated” by continuous streams from the exits of the metro station “Maydan Nezalezhnosti” and the metro station “Khreshchatyk” – towards the “town”. At checkpoints there was a check. The security seized drinks and food, which the fans had prudently purchased cheaper in ordinary stores, and other prohibited (potentially dangerous) things.

“The Police let pass very quickly, do not worry – a fan of Liverpool says in English to us, being a little bit drunk. And then, laughing, he adds: “If you’re rooting for my Liverpool, you can pass without waiting at all”. Of course, it was a joke. And drunk people were checked especially carefully. By the way, in general – and in the “Festival of Champions”, and in the fan sector on the Kontraktova Square, and most importantly, at the NSC “Olympic” – law enforcement has worked very well. This was the case, when the Police performed their work and practically did not interfere with the fans. Moreover – I often noticed how foreigners were photographed with a great pleasure with our policemen, in particular women.

“Are you rooting for “Liverpool?” – our new acquaintance, who flew from London, did not calm down. “Yes, Liverpool is a champion!” – we with friends respond and immediately immerse ourselves in the arms of a foreigner. Dozens of selfies, unsubstantiated conversations about how “Real” was “pulled” into the finals by the referee (they got hand-out on the whole stage of the Champions League) – and we are almost the best friends. In general, photos, video reports are the main feature of such celebrations. Photos near the stage, a stream in Instagram next to the Cup, a joint song with the fans of “Real”… Photos from Independence Square these days – the mainstream of social networks. Even for those, who are far from football. We did not notice any aggression, a fight or a conscious provocation. Real fans know that the strongest wins on the field. They sing songs of their clubs, laugh at clubs of rivals – but it’s all within common sense.

To fully experience the atmosphere of the finals, you could visit the square near the palace “Ukraine” (fan zone of the fans of “Real”). Officially this is not a fan zone, but a gathering place for fans of the Madrid club, but, in fact, this is a local fan zone of “realists”. For thousands of like-minded people, there is a food court, drinks and toilets.

Who, like us, were rooting for Liverpool, could go to Shevchenko Park (fan zone of the Liverpool fans). There Kyiv public utilities organize a temporary camp for British fans. Actually, the majority of “Liverpool lovers” were brought here from the airport. And then – wherever you want.

…The less time was left before the final game, the less people rested in the “village of champions”. Organized columns of fans, who were lucky enough to get a ticket to the NSC “Olympic”, went to the stadium. Others, who did not have a ticket were going to Kontraktova Square – the fan sector in the capital, where a live broadcast of the final game was organized. At the time of the scroll of the judges in the fan sector, more than 10,000 people gathered on the Kontraktova Square, almost a third of which were in T-shirts of Liverpool. “So nice! And why does Kyiv support my team? “- asks one of the foreigners in the form of an English club. “Because you are cool!” – answer Kyivans.

However, there was no aggression towards rivals. And when in the second half Gareth Bale scored an incredible goal in the fall through himself, the fans of Liverpool, so like Real Madrid, called the goal only “a hit of God”. Of course, in the fan sector, there were a lot of emotional exclamations, even obscene words – first of all towards Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid, who, in the fall, injured the hope of “Liverpool” Mohamed Salah. The last, leaving the Kyiv stadium, could not hold back tears. The final of the Champions League ended for him in the first half on the 30th minute. The fans also criticized the disastrous game of the Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, who allowed two mega-fails – Karim Benzema, who opened the game after Karius tried to throw the ball into the field, but fell into the foot of the Frenchman. In addition, he missed a very simple blow from Bale. “We play better in the Kyiv yards!” shouted the fans.

In the final of the UEFA Champions League, which took place on May 26 in Kyiv, with a score of 3: 1, Madrid “Real” won the English “Liverpool”. Among the players of the “Real” Karim Benzema (on the 51st minute) and twice – Gareth Bale (64th, 83th) scored the goals. The only goal of “Liverpool” was scored by Sadio Mane (55th minute). “Real” won the Champions Cup for the 13th time and for the third time in a row. And this is a new page in the history of world football, written in Kyiv.

Kyiv, for the first time in history, feeling the buzz from the organization and holding matches of this level, decided not to stop on it. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that “the next aim for Ukraine will be holding a match of the UEFA Super Cup or the finals of the League of Europe”. This news was taken with joy by the fans. While there is no chance of rooting for their own (“Dynamo” or “Shakhtar”) in the final matches of this level, it’s incredibly cool to root for others – grants of world football at home.

Text: Vadym Lubchak