'Unacceptable': Sport world reacts to 'shambolic' Champions League scenes

The football world has been left stunned after the Champions League final was delayed 30 minutes after 'unacceptable' scenes in Paris.

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 in a Champions League final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing crowd issues outside the Stade de France in Paris.

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Winger Vinicius Junior applied a close-range finish in the 59th minute from Federico Valverde's drive across the face of goal, securing a Saturday night win that gave Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti a record fourth European Cup title.

While Madrid completed a Champions League-La Liga double, Liverpool finished a season that promised so much - a week ago, they were in contention for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies - with just the two domestic cups in England.

The English team couldn't find a way past Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who tipped Sadio Mane's first-half shot onto the post and produced an even better save to turn away Mohamed Salah's effort in the 81st.

"Today nobody was going to get in my way," Courtois said. "I was going to win a Champions League no matter what."

Madrid underlined their status as the kings of European soccer, given the Spanish giant own double the number of European Cups as the No.2 on the list, AC Milan.

However, the biggest match in Europe was delayed 30 minutes after farcical scenes.

Stadium security in Paris appeared to block a number of Liverpool fans from entering the stadium due to the volume of supporters turning up.

One fan said: "It's absolutely shambolic. The French, their organisation, and UEFA, it's just horrendous."

Many took to social media to express their shock.

Uefa acknowledge chaos before final

For many, especially Liverpool fans, pre-match crowd issues overshadowed this final, though, and are sure to be the focus of an investigation by UEFA and authorities in the coming days.

Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at supporters waiting in long lines to get into European soccer's showpiece game, whose kickoff was delayed.

UEFA blamed the chaos on people trying to get into the stadium without legitimate tickets, without providing details on where they could be from.

"In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles," UEFA said in a statement.

Some fans climbed fences surround the stadium to get in. Others barged their way past security and sprinted onto the concourse before getting wrestled to the ground.

Riot police with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent pockets of fans forcing their way into the stadium.

"I've got really bad asthma and I've been tear gassed twice," Liverpool fan Angela Murphy told The Associated Press through a fence. "I'm really struggling."

The scenes were reminiscent of the chaos outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final last year between England and Italy.

with AAP

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