IT WASN’T UNTIL close to 2am around Chiado, the hub of Lisbon’s nightlife, that you got a proper sense a Champions League final was taking place in the city.
At that point, a group of Real Madrid shirts suddenly emerged into the centre of the narrow Terassa da Cara and began a few good-natured taunts towards the handful of Atletico jerseys. Diego Simeone, it seems, isn’t quite held in such high esteem right across the Spanish capital.
Beyond a temporary removal of the true international element of the competition, it is perhaps the one downside that an all-Madrid final happens to coincide with Lisbon hosting the fixture. The fact they are relatively close means there hasn’t quite been the same extent of movement on the eve of the game.
As one Real fan told TheScore.ie, many of his friends were going to make the six-hour drive on Saturday morning.
Certainly, this was quite a remove from the last time Lisbon held a European Cup final. On that occasion, in 1967, as many as 30,000 Celtic fans are estimated to have made the trip – and certainly made themselves known and memorable.
That famous 2-1 win over Internazionale actually took place in the old Estadio Nacional, which is now barely used.
In that regard, it is actually surprising that the Estadio Da Luz – possibly one of the most famous 10 football stadiums in the world – is tonight holding its first Champions League final in 59 seasons of the competition. You don’t need to walk around its epically impressive exterior for very long to realise just how steeped in European Cup history the arena is.
Benfica were the first team to break Real Madrid’s dominance of the trophy, following up the Spanish side’s five-in-a-row between 1955 and 1960 to themselves win two in succession over 1961 and 1962. The reminders are everywhere. In the second season, Benfica seemed to properly crown their rise by actually beating Real 5-3 in the final, with a young Eusebio announcing his arrival. The 20-year-old scored twice to turn a 3-3 draw into that sensational victory. After the game, the great Alfredo Di Stefano sought out Eusebio to hand him his short. It was seen as a passing of a torch. For the next few years, until the impact of George Best, Eusebio ruled Europe.
That is made all too clear in the concourse of the Stadium of Light. There stands a statute of Eusebio, with a jewelled golden crown on his head. An element of poignancy has also been added to the landmark, given the player’s passing this year. The statue is surrounded by flags and banners from different clubs.
Benfica have hosted many of them in the past six decades, and been in a five different finals since their last 1962 victory. The last of those was in 1990, when they lost to Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan, and the fact Lisbon has not hosted a final in so long almost reflects that faded impact on the competition.
It is right and proper the event is returned to the Portuguese capital. It is almost the perfect venue for it: a truly distinctive city, a renowned stadium, and all surrounded by European Cup history.
Certainly, as regards the showpiece fixture itself, it marks a shift from the English-German influence of the past three years. Bayern Munich have been in two finals and hosted one. Chelsea have been in one final while Wembley has hosted two.
This Portuguese-Spanish event is a throwback to the very first years of the competition, right down to the fact this Madrid derby actually represents a repeat of the 1958-59 semi-final.
There were a few reminders of the past few years, though. There were probably more Chelsea and Bayern Munich fans around the streets of Lisbon than supporters of the Madrid clubs. Many evidently took the gamble on securing the trip before the semi-finals ended.
“We may as well take the holiday!” one laughed.
At 3am around Caida, the streets were finally flooded, but only because that was closing time.
One Atletico fan expressed his disappointment, lamenting this wasn’t like home, where the night would easily continue.
This wasn’t Madrid.
It may finally be like it tonight.
