05 March 2018
THE HOME OF FOOTBALL
Wembley Stadium has always had a rich and illustrious history, ever since the opening of the old Wembley back in 1923. Amongst many other events, Wembley has hosted the 1966 World Cup final, the Euro 1996 final, along with numerous FA Cup finals, as well as being the home of the England National Team.
Construction on the new stadium began in 2003 and was completed in 2007, with the first official match to mark the opening of the new Wembley, a friendly between Italy and England Under-21s. Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini captained the Azzurrini that day, in a line-up that also included ex-Bianconeri, Simone Padoin, Antonio Nocerino and Domenico Criscito, whilst England had ex-Tottenham players, David Bentley, Wayne Routledge and Tom Huddlestone amongst their squad. The match finished in an entertaining 3-3 draw, with Giampaolo Pazzini scoring the first competitive goal at the new Wembley after just 25 seconds, and then going on to score a further second and third to complete his hat-trick, in-between goals from Bentley, Routledge and Matt Derbyshire.
Since its re-opening, the 90,000-capacity stadium has continued to be the home of the England national team, as well as continuing to host FA Cup and League Cup finals, in-addition to various other events such as yearly NFL matches. It has hosted two Champions League finals in 2011 between Manchester United and Barcelona, and in 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of the English FA, which was contested by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. From this season, Wembley has become the temporary home of Tottenham Hotspur, whilst their new stadium is under construction.
SPURS STORY AT WEMBLEY
Tottenham appeared to have settled well into their new surroundings, after having previously played their Champions League and Europa League games at Wembley the season prior. This year their current home record stands at 10 Premier League games won, four draws and one defeat, whilst they have won all three FA Cup ties, one win and one defeat in the League Cup and won all of their Champions League group stage home matches. Last season in the Champions League, Spurs had one win, one draw and one loss at Wembley, whilst in the Europa League they drew their only game at home.
Juve played Tottenham in pre-season at Wembley, where they fell by two goals to nil with the goalscorers from the Champions League first leg, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen also scoring in the summer friendly.
WEMBLEY STADIUM FACTS
- OPENED: 2007
- FIRST MATCH: Italy vs England Under-21 International
- CAPACITY: 90,000
- ARCH: The arch spanning over Wembley stadium is 133 metres tall and ensures there is no need for pillars anywhere in the stadium which could obstruct views.
- COST: 800 million pounds
