Vancouver is getting rave reviews from fans of both the winning and losing teams, while organizers expressed delight with the way things unfolded as the city hosted its first ever World Cup match.
Saturday’s first of seven World Cup matches to be played at BC Place was officially sold out, with an attendance of 52,497.
The final whistle left Australian fans ecstatic as their Socceroos beat the favoured Turkish national team 2 goals to nil.
Australian fans, wearing green and yellow, were celebrating their team’s victory through the night, after packing beer gardens during the day.
One Australian fan going by Drew@vuck_shady on social media called the experience the best day in his life.
Turkish fans, while disappointed, also made themselves heard before and during the game, and were often seen celebrating with Australian fans while waiting to enter BC Place.
“That’s just the way the old ball bounces,” Turkey fan Brad Warden said of his team’s loss.
“But we have had a great time in Vancouver. The Turks showed up in force like we knew they would.”
“But things didn’t work out our way tonight.”
Warden, founder and owner of the The Galatasaray Show, a YouTube channel dedicated to Galatasaray Istanbual, also praised Vancouver.
“It’s a beautiful city,” said Warden, who travelled to Vancouver from the United States.
“The taxes are high, but the city is very clean.”
The Athletic, an online sports publication based in the U.S., had high marks for BC Place following the game, writing that the freshly laid grass from a farm in the Fraser Valley looked sublime.
The grass will be removed after the World Cup, but several voices are calling for its permanent retention.
The publication also highlighted Vancouver’s natural beauty.
The Athletic’s rave review of Vancouver matched a recent ranking from Sports Illustrated, which declared Vancouver the best World Cup host city.
Officials from the organizing committee and police were also pleased with the evening.
“The energy and excitement felt across the city is testament to the planning and coordination of the Vancouver Host Committee and our delivery partners, as we prepared to host the world’s biggest sporting event,” an organizing committee spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement said match day operations were smooth and reflected the advanced, detailed planning and preparation. It said city staff and partner organizations will continue to evaluate pedestrian movement through the stadium area for future matches, and that its operations “will continue to evolve.”
Police in Vancouver said there were no major incidents.
A Vancouver Police Department statement said one person was arrested at the fan festival at the Pacific National Exhibition for being in breach of court-imposed conditions, but not the event itself.
It said a second person was removed from BC Place during the match for being too intoxicated and refusing to leave.
The statement said that considering the size of the event, two arrests was minimal and would be a small number even for a regular Saturday night.
Sgt. Adam Donaldson, a media relations officer, said police presence is the best way to prevent any public disorder. He said up to 1,200 officers were deployed throughout the day, adding that police had advance notice for fan marches to the stadium.
Donaldson said police worked with march organizers to determine numbers and routes, and assigned officers to ensure safety.
“Every Vancouver police officer that can work was working, and we have help from the RCMP as well as Calgary police, Edmonton police, and transit police,” he says.
Vancouver will host its next match on Thursday, June 18, when Canada hosts Qatar. – The Canadian Press.
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