Eiffel Tower set to sparkle for PSG's big European night
FILE PHOTO: A Police officer stands guard on the Champs Elysees avenue, next to the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, France, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Eiffel Tower is silhouetted against the sunset as seen from Trocadero Square in Paris, France, January 14, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
MUNICH, Germany - The city of Paris will show its support for Paris St Germain during their date with destiny in Saturday's Champions League final by lighting up the city's iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower, which is also set to sparkle should the team score.
The Eiffel Tower will turn to red and blue one hour before kickoff, and the fans in the capital will hope to see it sparkle as often as possible.
"Saturday, everyone behind PSG. After the title in the France championship and the Coupe de France, all of Paris is with the players to win the Champions League," city mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement.
"Paris has a date with the history of football. You make us dream! We are counting on you to make Paris shine."
While the final takes place in Munich, a large security operation will be in force in the French capital, with 5,400 police officers deployed in the city in an effort to avoid disturbances.
PSG are aiming to win their first Champions League trophy, having reached the final in 2020 only to lose to Bayern Munich. They would become the second French club to win the competition, after Olympique de Marseille's success in 1993.
Marseille triumphed in the first year the competition was rebranded from the European Cup to the Champions League, and their win came in Munich, and against another side from Milan, Inter's neighbours AC Milan. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
41 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Portuguese goalkeeper Patricio joins Al-Ain for Club World Cup
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Hellas Verona v Atalanta - Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona, Italy - February 8, 2025 Atalanta's Rui Patricio during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Alberto Lingria/File photo Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio will join Al-Ain on a short-term contract for the Club World Cup, the team from the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday. "Al-Ain has signed Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio to participate with the team in the 2025 Club World Cup," the club said on X about the 37-year-old Portugal international who is joining them from Atalanta. "Patricio will arrive to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow evening to undergo medical tests and join the first-team training," Al-Ain added. Patricio played 108 matches for Portugal, helping them win Euro 2016, and has had spells with Sporting Lisbon, Wolverhampton Wanderers and AS Roma. Al-Ain, who won the AFC Champions League title in 2024, reached the final of the 2018 Club World Cup final in front of their home fans. This year's revamped 32-team tournament will take place in the United States in June and July. Al Ain have been drawn in Group G with Juventus, Manchester City and Morocco's Wydade. FIFA opened an exceptional transfer window from June 1-10 to allow players to be signed for the tournament. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ice Boy? No thanks, says polesitter Piastri
BARCELONA - Oscar Piastri has acquired a reputation for keeping cool under pressure, and even after winning, but just don't call him "Ice Boy". The Australian, leading the Formula One championship for dominant McLaren, was offered the nickname after taking pole position with a mighty lap in the heat of qualifying for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. A reporter suggested Piastri could be the progeny of Finnish "Iceman" Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion for Ferrari, such was his nonchalant attitude. "I'm not sure I want to go under the name 'Ice Boy'," replied the Australian, raising a laugh from others in the room. "I think the emotions are different each time. Certainly, there's been qualifyings and races where it's not been nonchalant and there's been a lot of emotion behind them. "But then there's others where you go out and you know that if you do a good enough job, you can achieve the result you want. "Don't get me wrong, it's incredibly satisfying, but I think I'm just not a particularly emotional person. That's just how I am, really." Piastri added that he could have his emotional moments but he also knew that Saturday was only part of the job done and the real celebrating could wait until after Sunday's race. The 24-year-old, born in Melbourne and schooled in England, has won four of the eight races this season and Saturday was his fourth pole of the campaign. He is three points clear of teammate Lando Norris, who won from pole in Monaco last Sunday to close the gap, but has shown no sign of feeling the pressure. "It's a nice thing to have, starting on pole, but it's not the end of the weekend. The points are tomorrow. After the races, it depends a bit on the race," said Piastri. "If you've had a battle with someone the whole race and then you win, then yeah, you're pretty pumped up. But if you've got a bit of a gap, then you kind of know with a few laps to go that it's going to go your way, and then it doesn't spill over so much." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Sabalenka, Alcaraz face US challengers in French Open round four
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against Bosnia's Damir Dzumhur REUTERS/Denis Balibouse TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 30, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her third round match against Serbia's Olga Danilovic REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo The French Open fourth round starts on Sunday with women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka and men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz both facing American opponents, while Iga Swiatek continues her quest for a fourth straight women's singles title. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V AMANDA ANISIMOVA Three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka has built up to her latest push for a maiden French Open title with a solid run of form in the clay season, winning the Madrid Open and reaching the finals of Stuttgart and Italian Opens. The 27-year-old is yet to drop a set and did not make a single double fault during Friday's win over Olga Danilovic. Her toughest test yet comes in the form of American 16th seed Anisimova, who has won five of their seven previous meetings. Former semi-finalist Anisimova is looking to become a top contender again after taking a break from tennis in 2023 over burnout and mental health concerns. "We're both pretty big hitters, so I'm sure we're going to be going at it back and forth a bit," the 23-year-old said. "She is number one.... I really enjoy the fight and the challenge that she brings on." TOP MEN'S MATCH: BEN SHELTON V CARLOS ALCARAZ American 12th seed Ben Shelton said he never played a match on red clay before 2023. The next year, he won his first title on the ATP tour on the surface, and now he has reached the French Open fourth round for the first time, against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. "This is a challenge. Not my natural surface that I grew up playing on, but a surface I want to become great on," the 23-year-old Shelton said. No American has reached the French Open men's singles final since Andre Agassi in 1999. "This is a tournament that Americans have not had huge success in... I think this is a really cool opportunity for Americans. You do something big in an event like this, it really means something," he said. Shelton, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals this year, may prove to be a tough test for Alcaraz, who has dropped a set each in his last two matches. IGA SWIATEK FACES ELENA RYBAKINA TEST Four-times French Open champion Iga Swiatek could not keep a straight face when asked if she would prefer her fourth-round opponent to be Jelena Ostapenko, who beat the Polish fifth seed in all six of their previous matches, or Elena Rybakina. "Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really," Swiatek told reporters, smiling. "Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker." While Swiatek has avoided another clash with Ostapenko, her quest for a sixth Grand Slam title could face its biggest challenge yet against Kazakhstani 12th seed Rybakina. Rybakina beat Swiatek both times they met on clay, in 2023 and 2024, in the middle of Swiatek's dominant reign on the surface where she won successive French Open titles. Overall, they are tied on head-to-head after eight meetings. "Of course, she is very comfortable on these courts. But I think every day, every match is different," Rybakina said. FRENCH OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON SUNDAY (prefix number denotes seeding): COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER (Play begins at 0900 GMT) 4-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v 13-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 12-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v 5-Iga Swiatek (Poland) 13-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 8-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v 10-Holger Rune (Denmark) COURT SUZANNE-LENGLEN (Play begins at 0900 GMT) 25-Alexei Popyrin (Australia) v 12-Tommy Paul (U.S.) 19-Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) v 8-Zheng Qinwen (China) 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 16-Amanda Anisimova (U.S.) 15-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) v Daniel Altmaier (Germany) REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
