THERE WAS a minor fracas at the Shamrock Rovers media centre before last night’s big match when a man, in search of a ticket and apparently the worse for drink, mentioned that he had a “.45” in his pocket.
A short conversation with a garda later, he proved be to neither armed nor dangerous, (although still ticketless).
And as the game against Real Madrid kicked off, the main risk of unprovoked shooting appeared to emanate from the world’s most expensive footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was being watched closely by gardaí and everyone else.
It took him 13 minutes to discharge his famous right foot, and the shot went wide. So – by about 15 yards – did his first free kick, all to loud jeers of the (male) home supporters, whose reaction to his every move was in sharp contrast to the screams of female fans when the Real team bus arrived earlier.
Almost 11,000 people – mostly in temporary seating — packed Tallaght Stadium for the slightly surreal occasion. The Dublin mountains also looked on, as did residents on the upper floors of several nearby apartments blocks. But the “.45 man” was not alone in missing the occasion.
Twenty language students from a school in Oviedo were among the many locked out, chanting: “Yo soy Espanol” (“We are Spanish”) in the hope that somebody would take pity. It didn’t work and their trip to Tallaght was wasted, except as an opportunity to learn new phrases: like “one-and-one” from the chip vans and “half-and-half” from the souvenir scarf seller.
“Half and half: Get your half- and-half scarves – only a tenner,” the latter shouted. And his merchandise – Rovers’s colours at one end, Real’s at the other – were an apt metaphor for a night when the result didn’t matter. Rovers underlined the point by wearing their opponent’s purple as a tribute.
But then, they had had won already, by surviving 20 years of homelessness and a period in examinership to host the world’s most famous soccer club in a brand new, if unfinished, stadium.
That was the only victory they could expect, according to several hard-bitten home supporters. Among the lucky ones who had tickets into the Field of Dreams last night, a group from the much-feared Shamrock Rovers under-10 team had no time for indulging in fantasy.
Gary Kearns (aged 10) predicted it would be “3-0” to Madrid. Ryan McGuinness (9) agreed: “Yeah, 3-0. I can’t see Rovers holding them.” Only Jordan O’Neill (9) was prepared to dream. “3-1,” he said.
“I can see us getting a goal.”