FANS blasted Wembley’s security breaches after Borussia Dortmund supporters lit a wall of flares during the Champions League final.
That was after the final against Real Madrid was stopped after just 25 seconds when multiple pitch invaders stormed the field.
The breaches came despite the FA pumping £5million into the security operation around the stadium.
Pre-match preparations saw a ‘ring of steel’ involving thousands of stewards and enhanced ticket checks.
The FA were hoping to avoid a repeat of the Euro 2020 final, which saw many fans without tickets gain entrance to the stadium for the final between England and Italy.
But it did not go to plan as it took just seconds for flaws to be exposed.
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Three men entered the field of play wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the name of a controversial Russian streamer.
The game restarted after two minutes, only for another issue at half-time.
Dortmund fans had managed to sneak hundreds of banned flares past security.
Much of the bottom tier of Dortmund’s end of Wembley was alight with red pyrotechnics, which sent a thick smoke billowing onto the pitch.
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The fog lingered for around ten minutes after the second half kicked off.
One stunned fan wrote on X: “How the f*** have Dortmund fans got flares into Wembley when I can’t get in with a bottle of Highland Spring!?”
Another added: “Dortmund can have a wall of flares at Wembley yet I can’t have a bottle with a lid.”
A third said: “More fantastic security from @wembleystadium, how do the Dortmund fans get flares into the ground?”
There were also issues outside Wembley, with shocking footage showing a large group of people jumping over fences and pushing through ticket stalls before kick-off.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers had made 53 arrests.
Madrid won 2-0 and secured a 15th European Cup despite a strong performance from Dortmund at a cacophonous Wembley.
Bellingham outshines Sancho on the night of his dreams at Wembley
THE very moment Vinicius Junior struck the second goal, Jude Bellingham sank to his knees, stretched out his arms and looked up at the sky, writes Charlie Wyett.
It was the moment that Bellingham had always dreamed of, to win the Champions League. The fact it came at Wembley, on home soil, made it that little sweeter.
Bellingham delivered the pass to Vinicius who scored to ensure that Real Madrid, remarkably, have now been the kings of Europe on 15 occasions.
It was the final kick of the biggest game in Bellingham’s life as he was immediately replaced by Joselu in a tactical switch by Carlo Ancelotti.
With no Premier League teams involved, this was an English duel between Bellingham and Jadon Sancho. The west midlands v south London. Stourbridge versus Kennington.
It is obvious which of the two former team-mates won this scrap, although Sancho’s team should have put Real out of sight by half-time.
Ultimately, neither Englishmen had particularly dazzling games.
Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, started brightly and gave Real left-back Ferland Mendy a few uneasy moments.
Yet this was nothing like the performances he delivered against PSG to help his team to the final.
Instead, with three minutes remaining of normal time, Sancho was replaced by another Englishman, teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
There was to be no drama. Bellingham added this Euro title to his La Liga winner’s medal. Not forgetting he has also been voted as the La Liga player of the year.
Bellingham, featuring in his 42nd game of the season for Real, was unable to make much of an impact in his role wide left.
On the hour mark, he had touched the ball 35 times but had done little with it.
With the scores at 0-0, he somehow failed to score with a header when he was unable to make contact with a cross from Vinicius. Any touch and it would have been a goal.
By then, the keyboard warriors were out in force on social media, dishing out some laughable criticism of England’s greatest talent. Potentially, our greatest ever player.
Yet the inevitable happened and Dortmund were left to curse those missed chances.
A mistake by Sancho led to a Madrid corner and Dani Carvajal leapt highest to head them into the lead.
Bellingham had another chance but it was deflected wide by Nico Schlotterbeck.
But, with seven minutes left, he helped stick the knife in to help Vinicius score and ensure this is an evening he will never forget.
In the crowd were his dad Mark, mum Denise and brother Jobe, who got into the stadium five hours early
Bellingham’s mum was in tears as her son stepped up to get his medal. And let’s all hope Bellingham will be lifting another trophy in Berlin on July 14.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
