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Deutscher Girls
May. 24th, 2013 10:01 pmTo Stamford Bridge, a new ground for me, last night for the Women's Champions' League Final. Outside the ground a UEFA researcher asked if I'd be prepared to do a survey after the match. I agreed and left him my email address and he gave me a commemorative badge.
I spotted a lady in a purple Official London 2012 jacket, went over and asked her if she'd been a Games Maker. She said yes, she'd worked at the athletes' accommodation and loved it. I told her the events I'd been to; when I mentioned the seven women's football matches, she said she'd been at the Great Britain v Brazil game at Wembley. She had an Arsenal Ladies badge on her hat, and recalled with obvious delight Steph Houghton, an Arsenal player, scoring Britain's winner that night. Of her two friends, one was wearing an Arsenal shirt, the other a Lyon shirt so I said to him "Know who you're supporting." I said to them I'd hoped the Arsenal Ladies would make it to the final; they told me they'd been at the home leg of the Wolfsburg semi and about their anguish at losing 2-0, knowing going two away goals down would be too much to overcome.
Approaching the turnstiles, I passed a man accompanied by his two young sons, one wearing a blue rain jacket and the other in a green one. Those being the teams' colours, he was saying to them "You should be supporting Wolfsburg, and you supporting Lyon!" "We don't support either," one of the boys laughed. "You can cheer them on for tonight. You can have Conny Pohlers as your pin-up, and you can have Lotta Schelin!"
Only when I was inside the ground did I realise I hadn't seen any programme sellers anywhere. Didn't see any inside either. I asked a pair of stewards, and they said they didn't think there was a programme. Couldn't believe that for a European final.
I was in the Matthew Harding Stand lower tier, right behind the goal about seven rows up. The inside of ground looked smaller than I'd been expecting. Next to me were the Kingstonian FC matchday announcer and his girlfriend, and the three of us talked about footie until the teams came out. They too had noticed the absence of programmes; then we spotted one man in the next block of seats who was reading the one and only programme we could see anywhere. We waited for people to wander the aisles selling them, but none ever came.
Lyon had quite a few players I'd seen at the Olympics - as well as several of the French team, they also had Megan Rapinoe of the USA. Lotta Schelin had also played at the Olympics, though I hadn't seen any of the games involving Sweden. Wolfsburg had a cool kit, white with a mild green diagonal stripe, and are sponsored by Volkswagen - not surprising given that the VW factory has always been in Wolfsburg, and indded that VfL Wolfsburg was originally the VW works team.
The game wasn't a classic but had its moments. Lyon had several shots go wide or high in the first half. For Wolfsburg Conny Pohlers kept making good moves but when she passed the ball the attacks fizzled out. Just before half-time Martina Müller fired just wide.
A mixed crowd of young people arrived in the row behind me just before the half-hour. During half-time a couple of them were declaring themselves unimpressed with the match, one of them calling it "an absolute joke."
After the break Lyon surged forward several times but were constantly foiled by a fine display of goalkeeping by Alisa Vetterlein. At the other end, with 17 minutes to go, Marie Georges handled in the box. The ref pointed to the spot. Outrage from the Lyon players, some of whom protested to the ref that it had been ball to hand, and a chorus of boos from the French fans. Müller, cool as a cucumber, sent Sarah Bouhaddi the wrong way to put the Germans in front.
Lyon continued to attack but the Germans' defence held firm, and it was Wolfsburg who came closest to scoring again in injury time when Bouhaddi tipped a low power shot from sub Lina Magall round the post.
I stayed for the trophy presentation. Beforehand, a steward lifted up the back posts Seeing Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter in the royal box, the man from Kingston debated whether to boo Platini - his girlfriend said "No we can't, but we can boo Blatter." The officials and Lyon collected their medals, then Wolfsburg received theirs, ending with their captain holding up the cup as green and white tickertape shot out of two cannons placed on the pitch in front of the royal box.
I wandered around the concourse afterwards looking for programmes. I saw only one, held by a lady waiting outside one of the gates - making a grand total of two I saw all night. I went and stood outside the door to what looked like a VIP area, intending to ask one of the doormen if there were any programmes going - I'd happily have paid full price - but never got the chance to ask; I moved towards a group of UEFA suits walking out of the entrance but before I was able to speak, a woman among them actually pushed me to one side then a steward moved me on. I gave up.
Back home at 11.45, stayed up for the late night repeats of Top of the Pops 1978 and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
It was lovely weather for ducks in Bedfordshire today. Travelled down to Gosport for the long weekend this afternoon. Rain carried on pouring for the first leg of the journey; not so bad when I arrived on the south coast but still wet.
I spotted a lady in a purple Official London 2012 jacket, went over and asked her if she'd been a Games Maker. She said yes, she'd worked at the athletes' accommodation and loved it. I told her the events I'd been to; when I mentioned the seven women's football matches, she said she'd been at the Great Britain v Brazil game at Wembley. She had an Arsenal Ladies badge on her hat, and recalled with obvious delight Steph Houghton, an Arsenal player, scoring Britain's winner that night. Of her two friends, one was wearing an Arsenal shirt, the other a Lyon shirt so I said to him "Know who you're supporting." I said to them I'd hoped the Arsenal Ladies would make it to the final; they told me they'd been at the home leg of the Wolfsburg semi and about their anguish at losing 2-0, knowing going two away goals down would be too much to overcome.
Approaching the turnstiles, I passed a man accompanied by his two young sons, one wearing a blue rain jacket and the other in a green one. Those being the teams' colours, he was saying to them "You should be supporting Wolfsburg, and you supporting Lyon!" "We don't support either," one of the boys laughed. "You can cheer them on for tonight. You can have Conny Pohlers as your pin-up, and you can have Lotta Schelin!"
Only when I was inside the ground did I realise I hadn't seen any programme sellers anywhere. Didn't see any inside either. I asked a pair of stewards, and they said they didn't think there was a programme. Couldn't believe that for a European final.
I was in the Matthew Harding Stand lower tier, right behind the goal about seven rows up. The inside of ground looked smaller than I'd been expecting. Next to me were the Kingstonian FC matchday announcer and his girlfriend, and the three of us talked about footie until the teams came out. They too had noticed the absence of programmes; then we spotted one man in the next block of seats who was reading the one and only programme we could see anywhere. We waited for people to wander the aisles selling them, but none ever came.
Lyon had quite a few players I'd seen at the Olympics - as well as several of the French team, they also had Megan Rapinoe of the USA. Lotta Schelin had also played at the Olympics, though I hadn't seen any of the games involving Sweden. Wolfsburg had a cool kit, white with a mild green diagonal stripe, and are sponsored by Volkswagen - not surprising given that the VW factory has always been in Wolfsburg, and indded that VfL Wolfsburg was originally the VW works team.
The game wasn't a classic but had its moments. Lyon had several shots go wide or high in the first half. For Wolfsburg Conny Pohlers kept making good moves but when she passed the ball the attacks fizzled out. Just before half-time Martina Müller fired just wide.
A mixed crowd of young people arrived in the row behind me just before the half-hour. During half-time a couple of them were declaring themselves unimpressed with the match, one of them calling it "an absolute joke."
After the break Lyon surged forward several times but were constantly foiled by a fine display of goalkeeping by Alisa Vetterlein. At the other end, with 17 minutes to go, Marie Georges handled in the box. The ref pointed to the spot. Outrage from the Lyon players, some of whom protested to the ref that it had been ball to hand, and a chorus of boos from the French fans. Müller, cool as a cucumber, sent Sarah Bouhaddi the wrong way to put the Germans in front.
Lyon continued to attack but the Germans' defence held firm, and it was Wolfsburg who came closest to scoring again in injury time when Bouhaddi tipped a low power shot from sub Lina Magall round the post.
I stayed for the trophy presentation. Beforehand, a steward lifted up the back posts Seeing Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter in the royal box, the man from Kingston debated whether to boo Platini - his girlfriend said "No we can't, but we can boo Blatter." The officials and Lyon collected their medals, then Wolfsburg received theirs, ending with their captain holding up the cup as green and white tickertape shot out of two cannons placed on the pitch in front of the royal box.
I wandered around the concourse afterwards looking for programmes. I saw only one, held by a lady waiting outside one of the gates - making a grand total of two I saw all night. I went and stood outside the door to what looked like a VIP area, intending to ask one of the doormen if there were any programmes going - I'd happily have paid full price - but never got the chance to ask; I moved towards a group of UEFA suits walking out of the entrance but before I was able to speak, a woman among them actually pushed me to one side then a steward moved me on. I gave up.
Back home at 11.45, stayed up for the late night repeats of Top of the Pops 1978 and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
It was lovely weather for ducks in Bedfordshire today. Travelled down to Gosport for the long weekend this afternoon. Rain carried on pouring for the first leg of the journey; not so bad when I arrived on the south coast but still wet.
