:embarrassed:
Braga V Porto greatest sporting event ever to come to Ireland according to TV3.................... don't believe the hype!
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:embarrassed:
Braga V Porto greatest sporting event ever to come to Ireland according to TV3.................... don't believe the hype!
I have to be honest, all credit to Braga, but Benfica - Porto is one of those classic European games (I want to say great European derby but 300km says its not really a derby)
Does anybody know who the co-commentator was on tv3 last night? Alan? Was it Alan Brazil
Anyone who applied in the ballot and didn't get tickets can log on tomorrow morning from 9am until Monday for tickets. I am sure you all got the email.
Alan Kelly I think. English accent, but he mentioned losing two play-offs for Sheffield United at one stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by hoops1
It was Alan Kelly. He seemed to really rate the Braga keeper.
I'm delighted Braga got through. They've had a great season in Europe and it's great that they have something to show for it. I imagine Porto will blow them away in the final, though.
Braga did their job perfectly last night. Got the goal and then just sat back and soaked up Benfica's pressure. Benfica only had a few good chances and I still don't know how Saviola didn't get a proper connection on Luisao's header towards the end.
When you think about it, at the very least it's up there. There have been a couple of HC rugby finals, the Special Olympics - I can't think of any other big sporting occasion to come to Ireland. Even if its just the B Final, it's still a Euro Final and will attract a wide tv audience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hurt Locker
:clover:Boxing, Golf, Horse Racing would differ.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
On the whole plattinni deservers credit for giving Dublin the event, no doubt it will boost the countries image, give a boost to a flagging economy.:present:
In terms of appeal, we could scarcely have done worse than a Porto Braga final. We might have been better off with Rangers :o
Braga's attendence last night was reported to be around 7211 (admittedly this is from goal.com) but their stadium holds 32,000 and it did look about a quarter full at best. I would be suprised if they took more than 5,000 for the final; Porto might take 10,000, maybe 15,000 at an absolute max.
Appeal for who? For someone like me who wants to buy faceprice ticket, its absolutely appealing.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Appeal for the vast majority of people who are generally more interested in matches between big well known clubs than smaller ones. I'm sure the world would take a lot more notice of the Irish final and our nice new stadium if it was, say, Juventus v Liverpool. I had previously suggested that tickets should be much easier to obtain if Braga made the final.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Relax, it was a rhetorical question. just pointing out that I'm happy about the outcome
If you want to go I'd say your best bet is to hang around the stadium just before kick off, I would imagine you could pick up a ticket for less than €10.
Where you even watching the match? The Braga stadium had way more than a "quarter full at best". :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo
Wikipedia has a quote of 25,000 but there's no link for it. I can't find any figures on Portuguese sites but I imagine it's a lot closer to 25,000 than 7,000.
Got my tickets this morning. Easy enough to get if you were on at 9am but the €50 tickets (Block 512) seem to have went fairly quickly. Wouldnt have paid any more for them either. Ethough I always would support the underdog on an occasion like this, I have to support Porto. If they win, Rovers get into the 3rd qualifying round in July. Hopefully its an entertaining game.
I saw the second half, wasn't a great game tbh.Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
As I say Goal is giving it as 7211, and if you search "Braga Benfica 7211" you get some french and dutch sites listing it as that.
The Braga Benfica game was a sell out, from what I could see on the tv.
Anyone got an idea on the likely attendance? Braga can't even fill their own small stadium. Porto v Benfica would have been the better event, but Braga probably deserve to be there.
I hope for football & the FAI's sake that it's a sell out. IO suspect it won't be though. It's a pity we didn't get the CL final instead!
think there's a minimum limit on the size of a stadium for the CL final, and the Aviva doesn't meet the requirementsQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Are you ignoring my evidence?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
The Braga Benfica game was a sell out - not a seat left in the house - packed to the rafters -
5 May 2011 ... Date:05 May 2011; Venue:Estadio AXA; Attendance:25384.
I really hope this sells out, I would think between portugese fans and the all the usual UEFA officials, it would be full.
Didn't see it, that's all.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Who did they play in the QF? That definitely wasn't sold out (and no, I'm not counting the vacant ends as "empty" :)).
Such a boring game I can't even remember who it was against.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
ya someone forgot to finish the stadium what a fecking joke!!! refects ireland tbh.
Had a tour of the Aviva yday, worth a look round.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hurt Locker
The guide mentioned that the structure of the north stadium has been finished in such a way that it can be relatively easily brought up to a 65k seater stadium in future if planning allows. He then finished the sentence with the economic climate and basically no chance any time soon.
Oh right, I thought it was just a regular question.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Good to know the option is there though, should things go back to normal sometime in the next century!Quote:
Originally Posted by elroy
The CL final was held in Hampden Pk, which has a 52k capacity.
really? thought the capacity there was over 60k. Just checked wikipedia, and it is 52k.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
maybe we might see it here in years to come so?
I think 50k is the minimum requirement for a CL final.
It would be fanciful to think it could be held in Dublin, but you never know.
I thought getting the Europa final was UEFA's way of saying thanks to the FAI for their part in the building of the new stadium.
They only say thanks once.
tbh the Europa League / UEFA Cup has been held in some fairly minimal stadiums in the past:
2000 - Parken Stadium, c.40,000
2002 - Feyenoord, c.45,000
2004 - Ullevi Gothenburg, c.40,000
2006 - PSV Stadium c.35,000 (and over 2000 of those were empty seats):O
2008 - Eastlands, c.44,000
You should have seen the kip that the 2005 CL final was held in.
Im almost certain that UEFA changed the criteria for the stadia that can hold a CL final only a couple of years ago. I remember reading a piece at the time that Croke Park was one of a handful of European stadia that met the criteria. I think 60k+ capacity was one.
Will go down as probably the greatest CL final ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
True, but the stadium and its location must go down as the worst.
The greatest final me hole!
Manchester United fan I persume!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Of course the 2005 will be remembered as the greatest, if your a Liverpool supporter, just as the 1999 final would be for a Manchester United fan. Liverpool's win was probably the greatest comeback in a European Cup Final and United's win was probably the most dramatic conclusion to a European Cup Final. Both teams were completely and utterly outplayed and absolutely blessed to win. Milan tore Liverpool apart in the first half and dominated again after Liverpool's seven minute spell, the key part in which Dida dropped Smicer's tame shot into the net for 3-2. Bayern hit the post and the crossbar and generally bossed the game against United. Anyway, both are memorable in their own way but in terms of great matches I'd much prefer the following:
(1) 1992 Barcelona 1 Sampdoria 0 (aet)
(2) 2008 Man Utd 1 Chelsea 1 (aet, pens 6-5)
(3) 2003 Milan 0 Juventus 0 (aet, pens 3-2)
Worst:
(1) 1991 Red Star 0 Marseille 0 (aet, pens 5-3)
(2) 2004 Porto 3 Monaco 0
(3) 1995 Ajax 1 Milan 0
Milan probably produced the greatest masterclass when they hammered Barcelona in 1994 but it was a bit too one sided to make my top three. The first final I saw was in 1991 so I haven't included anything before then. To stay some bit on topic, UEFA Cup Finals have generally been poor but two of the better games were Liverpool v Alavés in 2001 and Porto v Celtic in 2003. Lazio v Mallorca was also a very good match in the last Cup Winners Cup Final.
There was a UEFA Cup final a few years ago (think it may have been 2005) which was CSKA Moscow v Sporting Lisbon (in Lisbon's ground) that was a great match. Also Liverpool v Alaves was pretty good (2001?) again in terms of each team looking like they could win it. Also the last UEFA Cup final (i.e. before the name change) Werder v Shakthar was ok.
I think the worst final I've seen in the Champions League was Porto v Monaco in 2004 at Schalke's stadium, it was very one sided but to be fair some of that was when Guily got injured for Monaco so early on, neither team had an over abundance of attacking talent though. I didn't mind the 1991 final - it was the first time I'd seen club teams from the continent play, the football was a bit negative but the prize at steak, especially for Red Star, was massive - the way football and the wider world were changing there was little chance of such a team going so far again. The fact that they remain the last side from a financially bereft league to win the cup, and the fact they were the last team to win it with players* and a manager entirely from their own country illustrates this.
* Belododici was born on the Serbian Romanian border to Serbian parents
Yeah, that's true enough but at the time I was a bit young to appreciate it. I just remember being pretty bored for most of it. I was just getting into football in a big way, watching lots of past world cup videos and that kind of thing. I loved the French side that played in the 1982 WC and the Dutch side from 1988. I remember taking a liking to the French full back Manuel Amoros, and it was him that missed the crucial penalty against Red Star, although he had scored in the big shoot outs for France in 82 and 86, also hit the crossbar with a fantastic shot against Germany in 82. I could be way off here but I have it in my head that Marseille were fairly hot favourites for the match, possibly because of the British media coverage surrounding Chris Waddle. Looking back at it though Red Star had an amazing team, Panchev, Savicevic, Jugovic, Mihajlovic and Prosinecki, who were all big players around Europe afterwards, mainly in Italy when it was the strongest league in the world.
Before Barca annihilated Man U in 2009, the most emphatic and brilliant display I have ever seen in a CL/European Cup final, was a (mostly) second string Milan's 4 -0 hammering of Cruyff's Barcelona.
Last year's Europa final was disappointing for the feeble effort Fulham made, looked like they were trying to survive until penalties.