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Dozens arrested at Champions League final after ‘attempts to breach security’

More than 50 people have been arrested at Wembley after a pitch invasion and attempts to breach security at the Champions League final, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in London on Saturday thanks to late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr.

But Wembley Stadium confirmed arrests were made after the game was halted inside the opening minute as three separate pitch invaders evaded security.

There were also reports of fans trying to enter the game without tickets.

Follow latest: Real Madrid win Champions League final – latest reaction

T/Commander Louise Puddefoot insisted the Met Police was “confident that the overwhelming majority of attempts to unlawfully gain access to Wembley this evening were unsuccessful”.

She then added: “Officers have made 53 arrests at Wembley – five for pitch invasion and the majority of others for attempts to breach security.

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“There is a robust policing operation in place to support the Wembley security plan and officers have worked closely with stewards and stadium staff to maintain security throughout.

“Videos shared online showing groups running into entrances do not necessarily represent successful attempts to enter the stadium. There are typically multiple further levels of security beyond an initial entrance.”

The force commander also said more than 2,000 police officers were on duty on Saturday, policing protests in the capital as well as the Champions League final and related fan events.

Wembley Stadium announced before the game that they had taken measures to stop “poor fan behaviour” in the wake of the Euro 2020 final.

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From 2021: How the Wembley breach happened

More than 2,000 ticketless fans stormed the stadium while England and Italy played in July 2021, prompting the FA to apologise.

A review by Dame Louise Casey later found the violence created a situation where people could have been killed.

Real Madrid’s victory – which saw them win their 15th European trophy – also comes two years after chaos broke out in Paris during the 2022 Champions League final.

Tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters and Madrid fans were held in poorly organised queues ahead of the final at the 75,000-capacity Stade de France.

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From 2022: What actually happened to fans at Champions League final?

Authorities initially tried to deflect the blame towards ticketless Liverpool fans arriving late for the game.

But last year an independent report published last year found UEFA body bore “primary responsibility” for the security failures which almost led to a “mass fatality catastrophe”.

In March this year, it emerged that Liverpool fans who made personal injury claims over the chaos reached a compensation agreement with UEFA..

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