Fans gather in Lisbon for Champions League 'ghost match' final
RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT
VIDEO SHOWS: BAYERN MUNICH AND PARIS ST GERMAIN SUPPORTERS IN CENTRAL LISBON, TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS WITH A GIANT REPLICA OF THE EUROPEAN CUP, EXTERIORS OF THE ESTADIO DA LUZ - THE VENUE FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
SHOWS: LISBON, PORTUGAL (AUGUST 23, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. BIG INFLATABLE REPLICA OF THE EUROPEAN CUP IN ROSSIO SQUARE
2. BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER JULIA HENNEBERGER TAKING SELFIES IN FRONT OF THE CUP
3. CUP / FANS IN FRONT OF THE CUP
4. (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER, JULIA HENNEBERGER, TALKING ABOUT WEARING TRADITIONAL LEATHER TROUSERS IN 30 DEGREES HEAT, SAYING:
"It's all fine in leather trousers, a real fan can put up with everything. The atmosphere is very quiet, but nevertheless it's nice, it is simply a great city here."
5. LARGE REPLICA OF EUROPEAN CUP ON DISPLAY
6. (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER, JULIA HENNEBERGER, TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF THE MATCH, SAYING:
"Because they are two very good teams, and it is a new situation playing without fans, and then simply the whole situation with corona is probably very difficult for everyone."
7. BAYERN FANS POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH PORTUGUESE FANS AND WALKING AWAY
8. BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER, HERBERT SCHOLZ POSING FOR PHOTOS IN FRONT OF THE CUP
9. (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER, HERBERT SCHOLZ, WHO JUST ARRIVED ESPECIALLY FOR THE MATCH, TALKING ABOUT THE TRIP, SAYING:
"But good, two and a half hours from Duesseldorf to Lisbon, I am staying another night here tonight and will celebrate with other fans in a bar, hopefully with other fans from FC Bayern Munich, and I am sure that we will be bringing the UEFA Cup back to Munich."
10. WOMAN SELLING SCARVES FOR THE MATCH
11. FANS BUYING SCARVES
12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PARIS SAINT GERMAIN SUPPORTER LAURENT OUBAIN SAYING:
"It will depend on tonight, but in any case, it lends it a little something special to the city. It's true that it isn't an atmosphere which is like what you have when the stadiums are full of spectators, but it is still special because it is the location for the final of the Champions League, and that is something special - PSG are in the final and I think that they will win this year."
(REPORTER ASKS ABOUT PSG'S CHANCES TO WIN)
"I don't know. We will see, we will see. We hope so, we hope so!"
13. TOURISTS AND FANS TAKING PICTURES OF THE CUP
14. (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BAYERN MUNICH SUPPORTER FROM LISBON, JAICE DOMINGUES, SAYING:
"I was here in 2014 and it was with fans and atmosphere, this whole square was full of supporters, it is very different now. And not just here but also in the stadium. It is different, but today it is what we have to put up with in daily life, we have to adapt, but what is important is the love of the game that we have to preach and love for the team: Go Bayern!"
15. CUP IN THE SUNLIGHT
16. CUP ON DISPLAY / LOGO AT THE BASE OF THE CUP, READING: "UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. FINAL 2020 LISBON"
17. PEOPLE PASSING TERRACE RESTAURANTS
18. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FLAG
19. BAYERN MUNICH, PORTUGAL AND GERMAN FLAGS
20. PEOPLE PASSING BY TERRACE WITH FLAGS
21. PEOPLE EATING ON TERRACE UNDER FLAGS
22. A HALF-AND-HALF SCARF FOR PSG AND BAYERN HANGING
23. EXTERIOR OF ESTADIO DA LUZ - THE VENUE FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
STORY: Soccer fans slowly started gathering in an unusually quiet Lisbon on Sunday (August 23), as the Portuguese capital prepared to host the Champions League final in an empty stadium for the first time in the competition's history.
With the final taking place without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there weren't many supporters in the main Rossio square despite two of the European soccer's biggest clubs, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain facing off in the Estadio da Luz on Sunday evening.
Lisbon has hosted UEFA's final eight mini tournament featuring the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. UEFA has adopted a single-game knockout format for this tournament rather than the usual two-legged games.
The format was changed in order to allow the competition to be completed in a shorter time-span after the COVID-19 pandemic halted play for several months across Europe in March.
Bayern are aiming for their sixth European title and first since 2013 while for Paris St Germain this is the first final in the club's history.
The match kicks off at 1900GMT (2000 local).
(Production: Miguel Pereira, Claire Watson)
