UEFA Champions League Qualifying
Tuesday 26th July 2016
My attendance at this game almost never happened thanks to a protesting coach passenger and ridiculous traffic jams on the outskirts of Prague!
The weather was glorious with Europe baked in sunshine. Portugal had just won the European Championship, 'Brexit' a month earlier had sent the exchange rate plummeting and the last place anyone probably wanted to be was on a marathon 24-hour coach trip from London to Prague.
It was roasting hot outdoors so it's a good job the air-con was working onboard but it still didn't stop one passenger having a complete meltdown before we'd even left Victoria bus station.
Either Flixbus had somehow managed to overbook this journey (a very likely possibility) or the woman in question was trying to pull a fast one (also a good possibility) and get a free trip to Brussels which was one of the stops en route. It ultimately resulted in chaos because unhappy with whatever was said, she took it upon herself to plonk her backside on the coach steps and refused to move - thus delaying departure well beyond the scheduled 8.30pm time.
After over an hour of police involvement and mitigation on both sides, the drama eventually reached its conclusion and the coach left (she wasn't onboard) - only for the driver to inform the rest of the passengers that he wasn't sure if we'd get to Dover in time to catch the ferry to Calais and if we missed it we'd have to wait until the morning!
This was all well and good but, having already been delayed by an hour and knowing our arrival time in Prague was 5.50pm - just two hours before the scheduled kick-off time, it meant my plans were already in complete jeopardy.
Luckily, the journey from London to Dover went just as smoothly as the subsequent checks at border control and there were no issues in meeting our scheduled ferry. Despite being knackered due to limited sleep, the coach navigated its way through France, Belgium and Germany and it didn't seem to take too long (all things considered) until we were on the home straight and nearing Prague!
That's where more problems materialised...
After a stop by the Czech police to check passports (which didn't really seem essential and was painstakingly slow), the coach met large tailbacks and traffic jams as the scheduled arrival time came and went. Sparta Prague's Champions League qualifying game was kicking off in less than two hours - it seemed so near but yet so far and traffic was moving VERY slowly!
Eventually, we reached Prague's Bus Station around 90 minutes late and that meant there was no other option but to find a taxi, dump my luggage at my accommodation where I'd check in later on, and instruct the taxi driver to go straight to the 'Generali Arena' - the sponsored name for Sparta's Letna home!
I've no doubt the taxi driver 'exaggerated' the fare because it seemed to cost an awful lot but quite frankly I didn't care; I was just delighted to be in Prague and at the stadium in time for kick-off - something which seemed highly unlikely just an hour earlier when vehicle number plates were everywhere to be seen from the coach windows!
The Stadion Letna is a strange old venue. As you'll see from the photos, each side is different from the others and the Main Stand (where I was sat) especially looks a bit of a mess to be completely honest. Even though for a long time it doubled up as the home for the Czech Republic national team, parts of the ground were reminiscent to the 'matchbox' feel which QPR's Loftus Road possesses.
Sparta's opponents for this qualifying tie were former European heavyweights 'Steaua Bucharest' or, officially, 'FCSB' - the name which the club had to adopt following a legal dispute with the Romanian military. Confused? Well... it's complicated, long-winded and this article will explain matters far better than I could ever wish to!
With the stadium around 75% full, there was a decent atmosphere and both teams applied themselves well which paved the way for an open, entertaining and intriguing contest. A tiny following of probably less than 100 from Romania were hidden away in one corner of the ground and they tried to make some noise, though their attempts were drowned out by the vociferous choreographed efforts from Sparta's ultras behind the goal - this in addition to quite a few excitable souls dotted around elsewhere.
In hot and humid conditions - even past sunset, there wasn't much between the teams and despite the fact Sparta dominated the first 45 minutes and deservedly took the lead through Josef Sural, they couldn't maintain their intensity which resulted in FCSB (or Steaua?) getting on top after the re-start and eventually equalising through Nicolae Stanciu.
The second leg saw the Romanians progress - only to be thoroughly walloped over two legs by Manchester City in the final qualifying round in what was one of Pep Guardiola's first games as manager at the Etihad Stadium.
Overall, it was a good trip - followed by a visit to Slavia Prague vs Rio Ave a few days later, though it was just damn well relieving to see this encounter at Stadion Letna given the travel chaos!
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