KUALA LUMPUR – MORE than 2,000 Chelsea and Liverpool fans turned up at D’Stall Corner, Kelana Jaya, on Saturday night to watch the live screening of the FA Cup Final from the Wembley Stadium in London.

The atmosphere was tense with anticipation as they waited for the big screen to fill up with the players in their red-and-blue jerseys just before the whistle blew for the game to start.

It was indeed a night for a Chelsea victory, when the team beat Liverpool 2-1 in a gripping game that kept fans on the edge of their seats all night.

The live screening was organised by the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd’s circulation department in collaboration with Glomac, L’Oreal, Adidas, Revive, Golden Screen Cinemas, Starbucks, New Zealand Natural, FT SINVA, Sapphire Entertainment and Acorn Communications.

Tickets at RM12 with food and drinks, sold at the food outlet, were snapped up days before the event.

NST readers who had collected 10 mastheads with the EPL blurb received a free ticket.

NSTP chief executive officer Mohammad Azlan Abdullah said it was an unexpected turnout, considering it was the first screening for a major football event organised by the Circulation Department.

“I am very happy with the turnout and it will motivate the circulation team to come out with more such events,” he said, adding the screening was also to reward the newspaper’s loyal readers.

D’Stall owner Thamlikh Mahan, or Pak Tam as he is popularly known, said he had never imagined the screening of the football match would turn out to be such a grand event.

Most of his customers, he said, were Liverpool fans, but for this particular event, he invited Chelsea fans from the Malaysian Blues Army (MBA) and they came out in full force.

Liverpool fan Kenneth Wong, 20, said he knew about the screening through a Liverpool fan club, Ultras Liverpool Malaysia.

Another Liverpool fan, Zhafri Illias, 23, a regular at D’Stall, said the event was well managed and because space was limited, the supporters were not rowdy.

Chelsea fan Muhd Zalhilmi Immerus, 22, said he was happy to be in such a friendly atmosphere with both Liverpool and Chelsea supporters sitting side by side totally immersed in the game.

Besides the live screening, there were also other activities such as a lucky draw, a chanting contest and face painting competition.

Source: NST