‘Happy either way’: Arsenal fans find zen attitude to Champions League final | Arsenal
THolloway’s streets, usually bustling with families and shoppers, were unusually quiet on Saturday afternoon. But shortly after the clock struck 5pm, loud roars echoed through the north London high street, a short walk from the Emirates stadium, as Arsenal took to the field for the Champions League final.
While the team, still basking in last week’s Premier League victory, were in Budapest for their latest clash against Paris Saint-Germain, the Gunners – or the Gooners as they are popularly known – came out to support the team on their home ground.
A banner was installed on the Argos sign on Holloway Road, following the letter r to form the word Ar-senal, and bars in the area were filled with fans in red and white. The tense silence was broken minutes later when Kai Havertz scored just five minutes into the match.
Lucy, 37, and Gregory, 48, traveled from Paris to Holloway for the final but unfortunately were unable to watch the match at the Victoria Tavern bar, which was packed with fans. “The mood is amazing,” said Lucy, who has been a Gooner for 30 years. “We went to Emirates and there were a lot of people.” He said he linked up with the team because of the strong history of French players such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
Gregory was not hopeful Arsenal could achieve the double. “PSG is a good team,” he said. Lucy did not see this as a result of success or failure: “I will be happy either way, but I will be even happier if we win the Champions League.”
Issac, 42, was also waiting in front of the bar with the tentative hope of getting in. He had traveled from Ghana to Holloway to celebrate with the other Gunners on home ground. “It was the best thing ever,” he said of Arsenal’s Premier League victory, which saw them claim the trophy for the first time in 22 years. Like Lucy and Gregory, he was already pleased with what Arsenal had achieved this season. “I will be disappointed, but we got a win in the Premier League, which is more important to me,” he said.
Most of the bars around the stadium were packed to capacity and the Gooner fever, a short bus ride away from Angel Islington, was also in full swing. “To be honest, I’m a mix of nervous and excited,” Jack Devonport, 25, who traveled to the area to celebrate with his fellow Gunners, said of the final. But like near Emirates, most of the bars were already full.
He has been a Gooner for life. “I saw everything. I was alive in the last Champions League final but I don’t remember it. I saw us lose to Birmingham in the cup final. I saw the 6-0 in the Chelsea game. I saw all the negativity and I feel like we have finally reached the top,” he said.
Last week, when Arsenal were crowned winners of the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, Devonport said he was “more relieved than anything else”.
“The one thing I’ve learned about football is that football is not always fair. Sometimes you can be the best team with the best squad, but luck is not always on your side,” he said. “You don’t always get what you deserve in football, but getting over the line in the end is everything to me.”
Arsenal’s superb performance this season means much more than personal satisfaction for Devonport. “I was five the last time we won the league, so being able to watch every game this season with my dad was a great experience for me,” he said.
“It’s amazing to watch all the matches together and relive with his son what he experienced when he was little. This is something we will never forget.”
The evening started well for Arsenal with Kai Havertz taking the lead in the sixth minute. However, PSG equalized in the second half through Ousmane Dembélé’s penalty, forcing extra time and then a penalty shoot-out.
In the match in the red half of North London, where Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhäes missed the penalty shoot-out, the French team retained their Champions League title by winning the penalty shoot-out 4-3.
