AS ROMA (Stadio Olimpico)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, AS ROMA 0-0 ATLETICO MADRID,
ATTENDANCE: 36,064

These ideas are always fine on paper but are quite exhausting when the reality kicks in!

When Everton were drawn against Italian opposition in the Europa League, I decided to extend my visit by a couple of days and get another game in. As you do. With Roma hosting Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on the Tuesday, this was a no brainer.

However the best timings for flights to Rome were from the south so my journey began with a midnight drive to Stansted. That was when reality kicked in as that meant I only had the chance to grab a couple of hours sleep on the flight over.

I arrived in Rome around 10am and a direct bus from the airport dropped me off at the main station, Termini. This allowed time for a bonus afternoon game, having been given the heads up that the Roma v Atletico youth match was taking place at Stadio Tre Fontane, the home of Roma Rugby Club. The ground was built in the late 1950's for use in the Olympic Games, which Rome hosted in 1960.

The ground has two identical stands along each touchline and both are uncovered. This was not ideal for me as it was a very sunny and hot afternoon, so I was wilting in the heat.

It was free entry and I would guess there were around 1,200 watching the match. The first half was typical tippy-tappy stuff but the game sprang to life when Atleti took the lead after 61 minutes courtesy of Alberto Salido. They were soon 2-0 up thanks to a close range header from Giovanni Navarro (see below left) but Roma got one back with 10 mins to play when Kéres Masangu scored.

Roma were denied a draw thanks to a stunning stoppage time save from Atleti's Alex Dos Santos.

It was at the Tre Fontaine that I met up with my mate who had flown in from Hamburg and after watching the game in the heat we decided to retire to the Open Baladin bar (and it's 40 or so taps) before heading off to the main event of the evening.

After losing a little time sampling many of Baladin's ales, it meant we had to get a taxi from the bar to the ground as the Stadio Olimpico is about 7km north from where we were drinking and the clock was ticking.

The taxi driver was a Roma fan and we were his last job before he headed home to watch the game. I asked him about Roma and their rivalry with Lazio. He said the were the "out of towners" and couldn't understand how anyone from the city of Rome could support anyone else but Roma. The club play in the colours of the city he exclaimed as only an Italian does!

After weaving our way through the gridlocked roads, we arrived at the ground around 45 minutes before kick off and the queues to get in were huge. This was due largely to security checking the names on the ticket against the persons ID. I assume in a bid to clamp down on ticket touting.

Once you were through that gate, there was another gate where you scanned your ticket to gain entry to the ground. Even then more security were checking your ticket against your ID. So it seems if you manged to dodge through the first line they will get you at the second.

I was at my seat in time to hear the fans belt out the club anthem of "Roma Roma Roma". Stirring stuff. The seats on the halfway line were very good, especially when you consider there is an athletics track surrounding the pitch.

Stadio Olimpico was built to serve as the centrepiece of the Foro Italia sports complex, a project initiated by the regime of Mussolini. The ground was opened in 1937 as the Stadio dei Cipressi, with grass terraces. Building was halted as a result of World War II and it wasn't until 1953 that the two-tiered concrete structure was in place. The ground, now called the Stadio dei Centomila, was inaugurated with a match between Italy and Hungary.

The ground was used as the main stadium for the 1960 Olympic games and was renamed Stadio Olimpico to reflect this status. The ground was used for major football events, such as the 1968 and 1980 European Championships and the 1977 and 1984 European Cup Finals, but remained largely unchanged until Italy hosted the World Cup in 1990.

 

Initial plans were for renovation but they changed and led to the ground being demolished and completely rebuilt. The stands were now closer to the pitch and now had a roof. Italy played five tournament at the stadium but it was West Germany who won, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final. This was another reason my mate from Hamburg was made up to visit here tonight as he said it was great to finally be at the ground, even if his arrival was 27 years too late!!

The last major refurbishment the Stadio Olimpico underwent was in 2007 to keep it eligible to host future Champions League finals. This included, among other things, the replacement of all seats, the partial removal of the plastic glass fences between spectators and the field and an increase of toilet facilities. The ground is now classed as a UEFA Elite stadium.

AS Roma have plans to leave the Stadio Olympico and in 2014 presented their plans for the Stadio della Roma, which they hope to in by 2021. The stadium plans, incidentally, were drawn up by the same architect who is currently designing the proposed new Everton ground at Bramley Moore Docks.

The match tonight finished goalless but it was largely due to some inspired goalkeeping, especially from Roma's Brazilian stopper Alisson. It was a good game to watch but Roma definitely got away with it tonight. Saul hit the post twice as Atletico dominated the chances and they must be cursing their luck at only coming away with a point.

There were plenty of buses around the ground after the match to take fans back into the city centre. We managed to get back to Open Baladin just after midnight in order for some post match analysis before my body finally gave up around 2am. It had certainly been a long day!

ATLETICO MADRID (Estadio Vicente Calderon)

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE, ATLETICO MADRID 2-1 FC ROSTOV, ATTENDANCE: 40,392

This is the one. This is the one I've waited for. The first of my Spanish trilogy of matches was a game at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. This is scheduled to be the last season at this iconic stadium before the Atletico move next year.

A flight from Liverpool took to me to Madrid where I finally got a chance to visit the famous old ground, at the third attempt, after my previous trips were foiled by late kick off changes.

Atletico Madrid were hosting FC Rostov, who are first time Champions League qualifiers from Russia. Atletico won 1-0 in Rostov on Don two weeks ago and a repeat performance this evening would see 'Los Rojiblancos' through to the knockout stages.

The Vicente Calderon, which opened in 1966, is located on the banks of the River Manzanares, which gave the ground it's original name of the Estadio de Manzanares. The name was later changed in honour of Vicente Calderon, the club president who was the driving force behind the new ground.

The ground was upgraded for the 1982 world Cup, with the most recent upgrade being the installation of red and white seats. An unusual feature of the ground is that the M30 motorway passes underneath the Main Stand, of which one side is closed on matchdays allowing spectators to walk around freely and, in my case, also take photographs!

                    

The new ground is on the edge of the city and is clearly visible as you descend in Barajas International Airport and can also be seen from the transfer bus into the city.

The Estadio La Peineta, officially known as Estadio Olímpico de Madrid, will be ready for the beginning of the next season. The ground originally had a capacity of 20,000 which will be increased to around 73,000 spectators for Atletico. Unlike the current ground, all the seats will be covered by a new roof. Luckily for tonights game there was no rain tonight though it was very, very cool sat high in the stand behind the goal.

Pre-match there was time to see the sights (ahem) of Madrid so this involved another trip to the fabulous Fogg Birra and Cheese bar, with it's superb selection of beer, and another great bar, La Mayor, on Calle Mayor, not far from the Catedral de la Almudena. From here it was a straightforward 20 minute walk to the stadium.

It was a fantastic sight as I approached the ground, with the floodlights beaming into the night sky. It heightened the anticipation and on entering the ground I could not have failed to have been impressed by this cauldron of colour and sound.

Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for Atletico after 28 minutes when he flicked the ball over the 'keeper into the Rostov goal. The home celebrations had barely subsided when Sardar Azmoun was played through to equalise. Atletico controlled the game but stubborn defending and a little luck almost secured Rostov a point.

However in the last seconds of the game Griezmann scored (what seemed) a controversial winner. The Frenchman fired home a superb volley but the linesman had his flag up as Griezmann was in an offside position. The referee though overuled him as the ball came off a Rostov defender on the way through.

The result meant Atletico Madrid qualified for the last 16 from Group D alongside Bayern Munich.

If you have not been to the Estadio Vicente Calderon then I suggest you try and make a point of getting there before it's too late. I promise you won't regret it!