Major questions over Wembley Stadium's security will be asked once again following a turbulent Champions League final that saw pitch invasions and 53 arrests.
Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 15th Champions League last night thanks to goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr as they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in European club football's annual flagship match, this year hosted in London.
But the event was soured for some before kick-off when fans were seen charging towards the iconic stadium and attempting to enter via the 'Club Wembley' entrance, before being pushed back and turned away by security.
A series of pitch invaders then ran across the turf unchallenged in the early minutes of the match, forcing a halt in play. One of the people who ran onto the pitch stopped to take a selfie with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in what appeared to be an online dare with a cash reward up for grabs.
Then, following the full-time whistle, exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline appeared to show fans streaming through a stadium side door as the trophy ceremony was underway.
These lapses came despite a £ 5 million ring of steel defense being put in place by the Football Association to avoid a repeat of England's Euro 2020 day of shame.
That final - held in 2021 having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic - saw ticketless fans storming the gates to gain access to the stadium.
Footage from outside Wembley tonight showed a group of men - many of whose faces were hidden under hoods - attempting to rush the stadium entrances, in scenes reminiscent of the 2021 events, albeit not on the same scale.
Some could be seen getting inside the Club Wembley entrance as they broke past security but were quickly turned around.
As well as this, the video outside the stadium shows what appears to be men fighting on the ground.
To combat this, police mounted on horses rushed in as reinforcements with riot police also seen marching down the street to regain control.
There were chaotic scenes inside the stadium, too, when shortly after kick-off, Wembley Stadium security staff had to jump into action to remove two pitch invaders.
Another person then ran onto the field to the visible annoyance of some players.
It took four security staff to apprehend the last invader, marking a shaky start to the night. Police later said five pitch invaders had been arrested.
It has since been revealed that a controversial Russian streamer promised the pitch invaders who stormed the Wembley turf £300,000.
The troublemakers wore t-shirts promoting 'Mellstroy', a scandalous vlogger who offered the prize reward to anyone who would invade the pitch in his name.
In 2020, the Moscow-based streamer Andrey Burim beat up a model and smashed her head onto a table during a YouTube livestream.
Burim also grabbed the model, Alena Efremova, by the neck during a social media party live-streamed to his then-680,000 YouTube subscribers.
The attack left a traumatized Efremova
Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 15th Champions League last night thanks to goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr as they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in European club football's annual flagship match, this year hosted in London.
But the event was soured for some before kick-off when fans were seen charging towards the iconic stadium and attempting to enter via the 'Club Wembley' entrance, before being pushed back and turned away by security.
A series of pitch invaders then ran across the turf unchallenged in the early minutes of the match, forcing a halt in play. One of the people who ran onto the pitch stopped to take a selfie with Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior in what appeared to be an online dare with a cash reward up for grabs.
Then, following the full-time whistle, exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline appeared to show fans streaming through a stadium side door as the trophy ceremony was underway.
These lapses came despite a £ 5 million ring of steel defense being put in place by the Football Association to avoid a repeat of England's Euro 2020 day of shame.
That final - held in 2021 having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic - saw ticketless fans storming the gates to gain access to the stadium.
Footage from outside Wembley tonight showed a group of men - many of whose faces were hidden under hoods - attempting to rush the stadium entrances, in scenes reminiscent of the 2021 events, albeit not on the same scale.
Some could be seen getting inside the Club Wembley entrance as they broke past security but were quickly turned around.
As well as this, the video outside the stadium shows what appears to be men fighting on the ground.
To combat this, police mounted on horses rushed in as reinforcements with riot police also seen marching down the street to regain control.
There were chaotic scenes inside the stadium, too, when shortly after kick-off, Wembley Stadium security staff had to jump into action to remove two pitch invaders.
Another person then ran onto the field to the visible annoyance of some players.
It took four security staff to apprehend the last invader, marking a shaky start to the night. Police later said five pitch invaders had been arrested.
It has since been revealed that a controversial Russian streamer promised the pitch invaders who stormed the Wembley turf £300,000.
The troublemakers wore t-shirts promoting 'Mellstroy', a scandalous vlogger who offered the prize reward to anyone who would invade the pitch in his name.
In 2020, the Moscow-based streamer Andrey Burim beat up a model and smashed her head onto a table during a YouTube livestream.
Burim also grabbed the model, Alena Efremova, by the neck during a social media party live-streamed to his then-680,000 YouTube subscribers.
The attack left a traumatized Efremova
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