Matt Pearson

On my way out of Paris, so here’s a chronological thread on my experience covering the #UCLfinal for @dw_sports.

In 72 hours, Afghanistan’s women’s refugee team are supposed to be making their first FIFA-sanctioned appearance since the return of the Taliban. Instead, they can’t leave home. Still no announcement on a tournament that can’t go ahead as planned. dw.com/en/football-af…

That said, not a great stewarding job. Could be dangerous for some.

Security now trying to move them back in. Think the goal has been uprooted in the middle there. Seems pretty good natured from here. #UCLfinal

Thousands of PSG fans have breached the security at the front of the stand and are on the pitch at the #UCLfinal

No German player on the pitch to start (Bisseck on the bench) but Munich looks to have been a good #UCLfinal host so far. Must be a few frustrated Bayern players tonight.

Hmmmm.

Just travelling to the #UCLfinal for @dw_sports. 3 hours + from kick off and passengers can’t board the train line to the stadium from a few stops away. Early days but trains about 12 minutes apart so more flooding in. Hopefully lessons have been learned from other UEFA finals.

BREAKING: Germany's top tennis player Alexander Zverev has settled his assault case with his ex-girlfriend. He was accused of strangling her at a Berlin apartment in May 2020. The two sides have now reached an out-of-court settlement. There's no admission of guilt by Zverev.

Toni Kroos has won as many Champions Leagues as Bayern Munich. It’s hard to remember many players who have gone out while still at their best, as he was tonight. It’s so different for Marco Reus. He’s been a runner-up in a major competition 12 times. dw.com/en/champions-l…

The flares are out for the second half. “Let’s go Dortmund. Fight and win!”

Chaotic start at the #uclfinal as pitch invaders enter, one after the other, from opposite sides of the ground. Marcel Sabitzer ended up pinning one down after he’d given security the slip.

@casey_szn12 @Sunskyii Yep, I missed that one, was out of my seat at the time.

Dortmund fans taking aim at UEFA in the #UCLfinal with a couple of banners. First one reads (I think): “You don’t care about football, all you care about is money.” The second links to a website. “No to Champions League reforms.”

The finished product.

The Dortmund fans unfurl their tifo ahead of the #UCLfinal

Dortmund fans in early at Wembley. They’ll surely at least win the decibel battle. #UCLfinal

A piece for ⁦⁦@dw_sports⁩ on the jailing of 12 fans in Saudi Arabia for singing a religious song. And what that means for fans travelling to big events in the country, like the 2034 World Cup. dw.com/en/not-safe-sa…?

Ignorance to women's health and its potential to dramatically enhance sporting performance is holding back women's sport. ✍️ @thisismpearson p.dw.com/p/4dBZ6

I’ve been to Liverpool a fair bit in recent years. Few clubs are so united. Klopp has plenty to do with that. Full story here: dw.com/p/4bm4q

A follow-up piece on Alexander Zverev's assault trial, looking at how and why he's still allowed to play despite the allegations against him. If men's tennis had a domestic abuse policy, that might not be the case. For @dw_sports dw.com/en/alexander-z…