FC PORTO 1-0 SC BRAGA 18.5.2011

Was down in Dublin last night for the UEFA Cup Final, my first ever European Final that I have seen live.

At the start of the season, I booked to go down to be in the city on the day of the final, and hope to get tickets.

Thankfully, I managed to get a ticket last week, meaning I didn’t have to try and source one while down there. That said, it wouldn’t have been hard to get one seeing as there were no sides from a “Major” league involved.

I headed down on the Tuesday and spent a bit of time in the city. Wandered around the city on the Wednesday morning, and there was a greater number of supporters than on Tueday, and more visible.

With The Queen visiting, security was tight in Dublin, and with some streets being closed off, it turned out to be a major pain in the arse when trying to explore the city.

On Wednesday lunchtime, I headed to the FC Porto fanzone at The RDS, which was rather dead in atmosphere and disappointing.

Made it to the stadium just before seven and was seated behind the goal to the left of the TV screen as you look.

I was in that end for the Northern Ireland v Scotland game and had better seats than I did. That said, the first couple of rows in that stand are a nightmare for watching the game from due to the number of people stood at the side of the pitch blocking your view.

The match itself was very poor, but the atmosphere in the ground and city was enjoyable. Porto won the match deservedly 1-0

My camera, which had already failed me twice this month, failed me again during the second-half and has since been replaced.

It didn’t matter, as Porto players paraded the cup at the other end of the pitch. Managed to get some good shots of the stadium, but not much of action, mainly because there wasn’t much.

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