Real Madrid became European champion for a record-extending 14th time after beating Liverpool, 1-0, in a Champions League final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing crowd issues outside the Stade de France on Saturday. Brazil winger Vinícius Júnior applied a close-range finish in the 59th minute from Federico Valverde’s drive across the face of goal, securing a win that gave Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti a record fourth European Cup title. For many, however, prematch crowd issues overshadowed this final and are sure to be the focus of an investigation by Uefa and authorities in the coming days. The match was supposed to kick off at 9pm local time at the Stade de France but got pushed back due to the queues of fans who could not get in due to the fake tickets. “In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who had bought fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles,” read Uefa’s statement. “This created a build-up of fans trying to get in. “As a result, the kick off was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access. “As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick off, the police dispersed them with tear gas and forced them away from the stadium. “Uefa is sympathetic to those affected by these events and will further review these matters urgently together with the French police and authorities, and with the French Football Federation.” Police sources told Agence France-Presse that supporters tried to force their way through the first ticket checkpoint outside the stadium – situated in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Tear gas was fired by police after several dozen people attempted to climb over barriers, according to an Agence France-Presse journalist on the scene with about 20 succeeding in doing so and getting into the ground. Pepper spraying fans outside stadium in Paris pic.twitter.com/drgzEpR9gD — Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 28, 2022 Thousands of supporters were still massed outside the stadium with half an hour to go to kick-off. Football Supporters Europe, a lobbying group representing fans around the continent, hit back at the security arrangements. “Fans at the Champions League final bear no responsibility for tonight’s fiasco,” it tweeted before the match finally got under way. “Thousands are still trapped outside the stadium, remaining calm in the face of a completely unreasonable situation. “We urge the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of all fans.” Liverpool meanwhile said: “We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France. “This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight. “We have officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of these unacceptable issues.” French police had tweeted in English, Spanish and French shortly before the original kick-off time: “Do not force entry” into the stadium. Former English football great Gary Lineker tweeted: “Finding it impossible to get in the ground. This appears to be very dangerous. Absolute carnage. I’m not sure it’s possible to have a more poorly organised event if you tried. Absolutely shambolic and dangerous.” Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates, the daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, described the prematch scenes outside France’s National Stadium as “absolutely shambolic”. “No way in, no way of knowing which way to go. Stay safe if you’re heading in,” Cates posted on her Twitter account. There were still large sections of empty seats in the official Liverpool end of the 80,000-capacity stadium at the time the game was supposed to start. Some 6,800 security forces were deployed for the event, with between 30,000 and 40,000 Liverpool fans without tickets for the final expected in Paris. A fan zone with a capacity of more than 40,000 was set up for them on an avenue in the east of the French capital. Around 20,000 fans of each club were officially allocated tickets for the game.