UEFA Champions League
How Warri, Abuja Stood Still for Heineken ‘Cheers to All Fans’ Campaign
Abuja, the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the oil-rich city of Warri were pumped up with excitement as the Heineken ‘Cheers to All Fans Campaign train made a big splash in the two cities.
With fans across the world already eager to know the finalists in this season’s Champions League, Heineken made the passionate fans in Abuja and Warri have something extra to look forward to.
In the end, it was a spectacular show, on and off the pitch for the fans and loyal Heineken consumers who thronged the De Clouds Lounge in Warri and the Papiees Meatro in the heart of Abuja.
In Warri, the attention was on the Milan derby, where Inter were looking to complete a double over their city rivals while AC Milan on their part were hoping to turn the tables after a 2-0 deficit from the first leg.
Most fans on the night in Warri were neutral; unanimously wishing the better side to pick the ticket and that better side turned out to be Inter who won the second leg again.
Laturo Martinez got the goal that saw Inter progress on a 3-0 aggregate scoreline and end their 13-year wait for a chance in the Champions League final.
As jubilant Inter fans partied into the night at San Siro, it was the same festive atmosphere in Warri as Heineken pumped up the excitement for the fans who all gushed over the unique viewing experience.
‘Cheers To All Fans’ as preached by Heineken was evident as there was a high turnout of female football enthusiasts who commended the Premium brand for their deliberate inclusivity drive.
“I like football a bit but this night, Heineken has made me even like the game the most, this unique experience is so fantastic and I really enjoyed myself with my friends,” a Warri resident, Sandra Achi said after the match.
With DJ Blizz dishing out sonorous songs from his turn tables and Mr Barango hitting his A-game with his Hypeman skills it was a lovely night for all in Warri.
Several prizes were also given out to the fans who expressed appreciation to Heineken and also appealed for a swift return to the city.
On the same day Oris Lounge, Aba and Rehab Lounge Benin were also part of the Heineken magic for the Milan derby with hundreds of fans also served a unique match viewing experience.
Then the attention on Wednesday shifted to the seat of power in Abuja for the Manchester City and Real Madrid duel.
The Papiee’s Meatro was jam-packed with fans ready to enjoy what was predicted as an explosive encounter.
The first leg encounter had ended 1-1 apiece in Spain a week ago with goals from Vinicius Junior and De Bruyne settling up the tantalizing encounter.
In the same way, nobody would have predicted the 4-0 outcome at the Etihad Stadium, the excitement and fun provided by Heineken in Abuja were also unprecedented; surpassing the expectations of everyone that was part of the Cheers to All Fans campaign.
Not even the light showers on Wednesday could rub the fans the excitement as people from all walks of life who found their way to the Papiee’s Maetro confessed they were happy with their smart decision.
One of the A fans, Ndubuisi Ikemefuna despite the scrambled DSTV signal caused by rain said he was happy that at last his beloved side City will play in the UCL finals next month.
According to him, ‘Man City is the best on planet and nothing will stop them from achieving the treble”
Another fan, Obinna Iroji lamented about Madrid’s loss, “Ancelotti did not get his tactics right. We gave them too much space and respect.
“It is totally humiliating for us as a team but kudos to Heineken and Papiee’s Maetro for this lovely and serene environment. It’s ideal place for me and family to unwind”
Despite the fans’ mix of fulfilment and disappointment at the end of the regulation time, they had a night they would continue to relish courtesy of Heineken’s ‘Cheers to All Fans Campaign’
There were plenty of gift items for winners and loads of music supplied by DJ Davidson.
Other top entertainers; including Hypeman K. Bumper, lit the night with their jokes and more as fans soon switched into the party mood after being on the edge of their seats while the game lasted.
Spain’s LaLiga will be represented by at least five teams in the Champions League next season after Italy’s Lazio were eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday while Athletic Bilbao progressed to the semi-finals.
LaLiga earned the second of two European Performance Spots handed out by UEFA, which go to associations “with the best collective performance by their clubs” in UEFA competitions.
England’s Premier League was the first to secure an extra berth in Europe’s top competition, on top of the four granted to the top four teams in the domestic table.
Villarreal are fifth in the LaLiga standings, with 51 points from 30 matches.
They are three points ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis and eight in front of Celta Vigo and Mallorca, with all three clubs having played one more game than Villarreal.
-Reuters
Real Madrid’s record-breaking manager Carlo Ancelotti had no complaints after his side’s Champions League reign was ended in emphatic fashion by Arsenal in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Italian Ancelotti won a record-extending fifth Champions League trophy last season as Real beat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, but his side went down 2-1 at home to Arsenal for a crushing 5-1 aggregate defeat.
“There are two sides to football, the happy part that has happened to us many times and the sad part we have to handle in the same way. It has happened to us fewer times than to other teams, but we have to manage it because it allows us to be better in the next games.”
When Real keeper Thibaut Courtois saved Bukayo Saka’s early penalty and minutes later Real were awarded a spot kick for a push by Declan Rice on Kylian Mbappe, it seemed that the great escape might still be a possibility.
But Real’s penalty was overturned after a lengthy VAR check, and in truth, they never looked remotely threatening as their bid for a 16th European Cup crown ended in feeble fashion.
“To change the dynamic, we needed something positive, like the penalty he whistled and then took off. We needed something to have more confidence, but we were not able to change the dynamic of the first leg,” Ancelotti said.
Despite the defeat, Ancelotti said Real’s season still has plenty of possibilities, not least trying to bridge a four-point gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona.
“Now we are in the fight for La Liga. We have a disadvantage, but we have the Barcelona game, we have the Copa del Rey final, the Club World Cup, and we have to manage this part, which is another part of football that we are not used to,” he said.
“It’s time to hold our heads high and learn from our mistakes. It’s sad today, but I have absolutely no worries about how my players will respond. We’ll fight on, we’ll learn from the experience, and we’ll try to be better for the next match.”
-Reuters
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Arsenal snuffed out any chance of a famous Real Madrid comeback to reach the Champions League semi-finals after a 2-1 victory in the Bernabeu Stadium completed a 5-1 aggregate win on Wednesday.
Holders and 15-time winners Real never looked like clawing back a 3-0 deficit from last week’s quarter-final first leg, and when Bukayo Saka scored for the visitors in the 65th minute, their fate was effectively sealed.
Vinicius Junior seized on a rare defensive slip a couple of minutes later to rouse the home crowd, but it proved too little too late as Carlo Ancelotti’s side exited feebly.
Arsenal’s superiority over the two legs was underlined in stoppage time as Gabriel Martinelli burst through to score.
They will face Paris St Germain in their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
“I think it’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club,” said Arsenal’s Declan Rice, whose two sublime free kicks put his side in control last week.
“There was a lot of talk coming in about them coming back from the dead, they’ve done it so many times before. But we had so much belief and confidence from that first leg that we had enough to come here and win the game.”
A cacophony of noise greeted kickoff with the home fans fuelled by the hope of witnessing what would have been one of the greatest Champions League comebacks.
But Real’s knack of extricating themselves from difficult positions in a competition they won six times in the previous 11 seasons deserted them as they were comprehensively outplayed.
“Did we fall short of what we wanted in pure football terms? Perhaps,” Real captain Lucas Vazquez said. “They really are terrifically organised defensively.”
PENALTY MISS
Real needed a storming start, and Mbappe had the ball in the Arsenal net in the opening minutes but was offside when chesting in a Vinicius cross.
Arsenal were in no mood to simply sit and protect their lead, though, and Saka forced a great save from Courtois. They were handed the chance to kill off the tie when Raul Asencio needlessly hauled down Mikel Merino from a corner, and referee Francois Letexier eventually awarded a penalty after checking a pitch-side VAR monitor.
Saka opted for a Panenka-style chipped penalty, and Courtois clawed away the ball.
It looked like a potentially pivotal moment, and when Letexier pointed to the penalty spot at the other end after Kylian Mbappe tumbled under minimal contact from Rice, Arsenal’s night looked like taking a turn for the worse.
After five painstaking minutes, however, Letexier was again invited by VAR to view the monitor and to a chorus of whistles from the home fans, overturned his original decision.
That scare aside, Arsenal coped easily with Real Madrid’s famed frontline who were given little to work with.
Arsenal keeper David Raya was not required to make a save before halftime as Real’s predilection for hopeful crosses into the area proved easy pickings for the visiting defence.
Real’s Mbappe barely had a sniff of a chance as Arsenal showed great control and Saka made up for his first-half miss with a clinical finish after being sent clear by Merino.
William Saliba gifted Real a lifeline when he was caught in possession on the edge of his area, allowing Vinicius to score, but there was never any sense of panic in the visiting ranks.
Martinelli put the icing on the cake in added time, again from a Merino assist, to send Arsenal’s fans into raptures.
-Reuters
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