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More than 50 people were arrested at the Champions League final for various attempts at gaining entry to Wembley, London’s Metropolitan police said late on Saturday.
The police said it arrested five people for pitch invasion and the “majority of others” for attempts to breach security at the final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
“Major sporting events often attract attempts by those without tickets to bypass perimeter fencing or otherwise gain entry,” a statement by the Met said.
“There is a robust policing operation in place to support the Wembley security plan and officers have worked closely with stewards and stadium staff to maintain security throughout.”
An “overwhelming majority of attempts” were unsuccessful according to the Met.
“Videos shared online showing groups running into entrances do not necessary represent successful attempts to enter the stadium”, the statement added.
Police presence was increased to over 2,000 officers in London on Saturday to deal with multiple protests during the day alongside the Champions League final, where Real Madrid defeated Dortmund 2-0 to win the Champions League for the 15th time.
The authorities were keen to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final three years ago when ticketless fans stormed the turnstiles.
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Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic praised the “brilliant” Jadon Sancho after the England winger impressed again in Saturday’s 2-0 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.
Returning to England for the first time since he came back to Dortmund on loan in January after a miserable time at Manchester United, Sancho was a major factor as the Germans threatened to take the lead before going down to two second-half goals at Wembley.
“The last six months Jadon has been brilliant for us. Of course it took time to get back into shape, but you can feel there’s quality and his skills are going to improve our game straight away,” Terzic said.
“He didn’t improve only his game, but he improved players all around him.”
In his first four years at the Westfalenstadion, Sancho scored 50 goals and laid on 64 more in 137 games. He won the 2021 German Cup shortly before joining United for a fee of 85 million euros ($93 million).
But at Old Trafford, he scored just 12 times in 82 appearances and fell out with manager Erik Ten Hag earlier this season, who banished him to training with the reserve team.
Dortmund offered Sancho a lifeline and he returned to Germany in January having not played first-team football since September.
Sancho’s six-month loan officially ended after Saturday’s game and while Dortmund have said publicly they would like to keep the player, the 24-year-old’s future is uncertain.
Terzic dodged questions about where London-raised Sancho would play next season but predicted a bright future for a player who has returned to form and rehabilitated his reputation at Dortmund.
“I didn’t speak about the future because we’re taking about the present. We played a Champions League final in his home town and I’m really happy he’s with us.
“You can feel the joy he receives in the dressing room and that he brings into the dressing room.
“I’m very happy to work with Jadon. We don’t know yet what the future will bring but for sure it’ll bring him another Champions League final.”
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It seems as though every time Real Madrid play in the Champions League final, the record books require a rewrite.
The club’s record-extending 15th European Cup triumph saw several players make history Saturday. Dani Carvajal – scorer of the first goal in Madrid’s eventual 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund – Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and captain Nacho joined club legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the tournament six times.
Carvajal, Modric, and Gento are the only members of the group to actually feature in all six of the title-winning games. Kroos, whose first triumph came while he was at Bayern Munich, missed the 2013 final due to injury.
In addition to the players’ achievements, decorated bench boss Carlo Ancelotti also extended his own record as the most successful Champions League manager ever, getting his hands on the trophy for the fifth time.
“You never get accustomed to this. It was very difficult, much more so than we thought it would be,” the Italian coach said after the win at Wembley Stadium. “First half, we had to suffer; second half, we lost the ball less, played better – but those are all trifling details now. We won. The dream continues!”
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It was a final but there was no finality to Real Madrid’s triumph. It hissed like tinnitus, an irritating and incurable sensation to nag the other leading lights of European football. The continent conquered for the 15th time – more than double Europe’s second most successful team, AC Milan – and the feeling that Real Madrid’s 16th, 17th, and 18th are within view.
The Champions League trophy hoisted, again, and in unconvincing fashion, again, after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund were better than Real Madrid. Julian Ryerson pumped out his chest and Ian Maatsen provided creativity and clout – they put in sterling performances at Wembley. But of course, against the team that picks its moments, the BVB full-backs’ contributions to the highlight package will be unflattering: Vinicius Junior briefly scrambling out of Ryerson’s pocket to slip the ball between his legs, and Maatsen scuffing a tired pass straight to Jude Bellingham. Dani Carvajal headed Madrid into the lead under a minute after Ryerson was nutmegged. Bellingham slipped Vinicius through after Maatsen’s lapse to put the outcome beyond doubt.
Sometimes, it seems what opponents do against Real Madrid is futile.
The Niclas Fullkrug fan club continues to admit members during his late-career rise from Germany’s second tier to the peak of European football. He does what’s expected from a man of his build – threaten in the air and harass defenders – while also doing what he’s not recognized for enough, like impeccably timed runs and stopping the ball dead with neat touches. Fullkrug provided a big chance for Julian Brandt and steered an effort against the post in an opening period where Dortmund outshot Real Madrid 8-2.
Niclas Füllkrug so close to the opener for Dortmund.??? pic.twitter.com/4Q1TxNIeh7
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 1, 2024
Dortmund were equally impressive off the ball. Maatsen won back possession to keep the pressure on Real Madrid before Fullkrug hit the woodwork. The ever-industrious Brandt was clearly undeterred after the German side’s first-half superiority yielded no goals, and almost 10 minutes after the break sprinted back from the edge of the 18-yard box to near the halfway line to bash Eduardo Camavinga off the ball.
Other teams would’ve been rocked. But as much as teams get in the faces of Real Madrid, the serial European champions look back with the menacing toothy grin of a hunter’s trap. Soon, often when you least expect it, it will snap. With each opportunity, stirring passage of play, or crunching tackle that Dortmund produced, it seemed likelier that Real Madrid would win.
“For now we are just disappointed, after such a match, after the chances that we had to score. It’s extremely disappointing. But in the end, they showed their class,” Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel rued after the loss.
Real Madrid often play quite badly in Champions League finals and, indeed, in the competition’s earlier rounds – but they find a way. They’ve now recorded nine consecutive victories when they’ve reached the biggest annual event in the European club calendar. Real Madrid’s invincibility has become inevitable, and that gives them an innate ability to shrug off setbacks and increase in confidence as matches go on. It has the opposite effect on their opponents, steadily leeching their belief as each shot goes astray or is swatted away by Thibaut Courtois.
No other club in Europe has that power. Real Madrid’s reputation can inspire the players at the club while weakening everybody else.
“We knew it would be a tough game, and (in) the first half they were very superior, but we got out alive,” Carvajal said. “But we knew our moment would come, and it did, and we have the 15th.”
Those moments will continue to come. Kylian Mbappe and Endrick are on their way to load more gunpowder into Los Blancos’ artillery this summer. The ruthless become more ruthless. Real Madrid’s dominance is set to carry on, whether they play well or not.
