As soon as you arrive in Baku you can feel the excitement. You can feel the pride. Baku was chosen to host the 2019 Europa League Final, and thanks to Kia Australia, one of the main sponsors, we were invited to attend this once in a lifetime experience.
Ehhrm Eef, football?
Football (I refuse to call it soccer) has been a big passion of mine since I was a teenager. No, you will never see me run after a ball, but I love watching other people do it. The team I root for is Ajax Amsterdam (so proud of you for this season guys!) but I love watching the game in general. You can only imagine how excited I was when I heard I was selected for this opportunity with Kia Australia. This opportunity didn’t just include watching the UEL final, it also included seeing more of beautiful Baku. Read all about it in this blog.
Arriving at the stadium
There was almost something magical about it, seeing Baku Olympic Stadium appear from far away, warmly lit up in the colors of fire; the colors of Azerbaijan. Everyone on the bus was getting excited, and as our match tickets were handed out to us (whaaaa, row 2!!!?????) this excitement rose even more. Chelsea or Arsenal, who is going to take that desired cup home?
The Europa Lounge
I’ve been to many football matches, but this was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. When we walked into the Europa Lounge we were greeted with a cold glass of Amstel beer (the Dutchie in me was screaming of joy). All around the lounge you could find buffets with the most delicious (Azerbaijani) food. There was a band playing with the lead singer singing and swinging her lungs out. Two women dressed in beautiful traditional outfits were painting tea glasses, which they then gave to the guests to take home. You could dress up in traditional clothing yourself and take a picture with it. It was so. much. fun.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for…
But then, finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for was there. With a beautiful opening ceremony the UEFA kicked off the night. Let the games begin, and may the odds be ever in your favor 😉
Let’s be honest: the first half was nothing to write home about. Both teams were not really giving it their all, and no goals were made. But man, they sure made up for that in the second half!
When Chelsea scored for the first time the fans raised the roof. They were going absolutely wild, and this meant Arsenal now also had to step their game up! But Chelsea clearly decided they were going to take that oh-so-badly-wanted cup home. Four more goals later the results were 4-1 in favor of Chelsea, making them the proud winner of the UEFA Europa League Final 2019.
With raspy voices and still processing what we had just witnessed we left the stadium. I don’t watch a lot of football in Australia but this made me realize how much I missed it and how much I LOVE this game. And this final? This final is something I will be telling my grandchildren about.
❤ Eef
Disclaimer: this trip was sponsored by Kia Australia. However, all opinions are 100% mine. I was not paid to write this.
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