Thursday, April 24, 2014.
Estádio da Luz, SL. Benfica's Home Ground, Lisbon, Portugal.
Time: 9:00 PM.
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The cheers hit a crescendo as players of both teams marched onto the pitch, ready to commence their long-awaited Europa League semi-final battle. The Benfica players were in their red and white home colors, while the Rosenborg squad had donned their all-black away jersey. They all looked dapper as they lined up in front of the tunnel before going through the customary handshake ceremony.
The proceedings moved forward quite fast, and in only a few minutes, the players started taking up their positions on the pitch. And when the clock hand was pointing to the 9:05 PM mark, the referee had already conducted the coin toss. He positioned himself close to the center circle and glanced at his watch as a rare wave of silence swept through the stands of the Estádio da Luz.
*FWEEEEEEE*