Chelsea and Man City fans ignore social distancing as they booze in the sun in Porto

Thousands of Manchester City and Chelsea fans have descended on Portugal ahead of the teams’ Champions League final clash tonight.

Boozy Britons took over pubs and bars in sunny Porto as they geared up for all-English fixture – the pinnacle in the European football calendar.

Supporters flocked around the river Douro in the city as they chanted, erected flags and toasted to their club’s success in a few hours.

They arrived having been forced to fork out excessive prices for flights and hotels as well as the chaos of a Covid testing system which left some fearing they would miss the match.

The joyous scenes come just hours after the streets descended into chaos when Britons battled each other and police with tensions flaring last night.

Rival gangs flouted social distancing rules as they flung bar stools at each other, hurled glass bottles and brawled on busy main roads following a heavy day of drinking.

Meanwhile livid locals hit out at the maskless mobs wreaking havoc on the north west city and said if the stadium is being open to Britons tonight then all grounds should be open to the Portuguese.

Boozy Britons took over pubs and bars in sunny Porto as they geared up for all-English fixture – the pinnacle in the European football calendar

Supporters flocked around the river Douro in the city as they chanted, erected flags and toasted to their club’s success in a few hours

The joyous scenes come just hours after the streets descended into chaos when Britons battled each other and police with tensions flaring last night

Football fans who have made the trip appeared to head straight for the bars as thousands packed into the narrow streets around the river Douro

Fans in the Porto city centre fan park before the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea at Estadio do Dragao

Manchester City fans cheer as they drink in front of a bridge in Porto ahead of their side’s huge match against Chelsea this evening

Young Manchester City fans are pictured singing as others – who have been out in the sun all day – wave their arms in motion

Tables were full in the north west Portuguese city of Porto today as fans from Manchester and London descended to the centre

Some supporters take a break and sit on some stone steps amid a sea of Manchester City flags in Porto this afternoon

One Manchester City fan raises his arms as he chants in anticipation for the big match on Saturday night

A group of lads cheer as they drink and party in Porto before kick off between Chelsea and Manchester City in the final tonight

Two young fans shake hands with each other as they enjoy a pint as they eagerly await the huge stand off between Manchester City and Chelsea tonight

Men in shirts and others without cheer as they prepare for the first all-Engish final for years in Porto, Portugal, tonight

Football fans who have made the trip appeared to head straight for the bars as thousands packed into the narrow streets around the river Douro.

Chelsea and Manchester City supporters mixed with each other at the boozers as the pints began to flow early this morning.

Huge flags were draped over the side of a rock face above one of the pubs saying ‘Man City loyal’ and ‘boys in blue from division two’.

Meanwhile some fans opted for a calmer way to see the city as they glided around on Segways while donned their team kits.

Hostilities between the two sides appeared to have been put on ice as small groups made up of rival supporters smiled for photographs on the personal transporters.

Others enjoyed a kick about in a city centre square in the shadow of a huge replica of the Champions League trophy.

Some Britons will be heading to the Estádio do Dragão to watch the match live while police said thousands of others are expected to spectate from the bars.

Some 16,500 will be allowed to enter the huge ground to help maintain social distancing despite low Covid cases in Portugal.

A shirtless fan holds up a replica of the Champions League trophy at a bar as friends and family enjoy the sun on Saturday 

A Manchester City fan, with a pint in hand smiles for a photograph as he holds hi mobile phone aloft on Saturday afternoon

A group of lads cheer as they sing and dance ahead of the big match between Chelsea and Manchester City tonight 

A group of mates stand outside a bar on the street s festivities continue throughout the day in Porto, Portugal, today

A line of local policeman stand with one on the phone as they monitor the behaviour of the fans ahead of the match tonight

Groups of lads and ladies from Britain bake in the sun as they get drinking ahead of the Champions League final tonight

Manchester City fans collect their match day tickets in Porto ahead of the match that kicks off on Saturday evening

Three Manchester city fans raise their arms and beers as they cheer ahead of their sides match against Chelsea this evening

Some punters sit on the side of a tram stop as they get the pints in ahead of tonight’s huge match between the two English giants

An armoured police car is parked on the street as officers monitor Britons who have made the trip to Portugal this weekend

Manchester City fan Casey O’Brien, 29, of Denton, missed his original flight because the results of Covid test he took and paid for did not arrive in time.

He said: ‘It was really worrying. I went to Gatwick, missed the flight because my result hadn’t come through and had to re-book and take a test at the airport. I got the last flight out of Gatwick to Porto and got in at 10pm.

‘But it is great to be here despite all the hassle and extra cost. We have to go through it again on the return but that will be after we have won the Champions League. So it won’t be as bad.’

Tom Shaw, 29, a chartered surveyor from Knutsford, said: ‘Its the biggest ever game for City. I could not miss this match.

‘It has cost a sum north of £1000 but that is money well spent. There have been so many other obstacles with Covid. You have to have a Covid test within 72 hours before you can fly home.

‘I knew it would be problematic in Porto because thousands of Manchester City and Chelsea fans would need them.

‘So I had my return PCR test at Manchester airport before got on the plane here. I am leaving on Sunday morning, so that will still be within the 72 hours. Now all we need is to win the cup!’

Rob Brown, 30, an accountant from Hale, added: ‘It is a beautiful day. The Sun is shining and Manchester City are going home with the champions league cup for the first time.’

Man City fan Issy O’Brien,25, flew in on Saturday as a guest of the club’s owner Sheikh Mansour who forked out of plane seats for thousands of the Premier League champion’s loyal supporters.

She said: ‘After everything that people have been through over the last year, it is an absolute privilege to be here.’ The IT consultant added: ‘ Porto is a beautiful city. It is such a great place to have such a big match.’

Chelsea fan Kaz Khalick, 26, of Luton, unveiled a huge club flag with his fellow supporter Laurie Kavanagh.

Kaz said: ‘Our name is on the trophy. We have won it before. City have never won it and sadly for them tonight is not going to be the night for them.’

Jeremy Jackson, 54, of Cheam, Surry, added: ‘Its a shame that a few idiots cannot behave after a few pints of beer. Lets hope that is the end of the trouble and we can all look forward to a great match…with a Chelsea victory.’

Chelsea and Manchester City supporters mixed with each other at the boozers as the pints began to flow early this morning

Manchester City banners are hung from a rock face in the city centre as punters hit the bars below in the sun on Saturday afternoon

Huge flags were draped over the side of a rock face above one of the pubs saying ‘Man City loyal’ and ‘boys in blue from division two’

Hostilities between the two sides appeared to have been put on ice as small groups made up of rival supporters smiled for photographs on the personal transporters

Meanwhile some fans opted for a calmer way to see the city as they glided around on Segways while donned their team kits

Police watch over fans in the city centre of Porto before the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea at Estadio do Dragao tonight

Locals are annoyed the stadium has been opened up for Britons to enjoy the Champions League final when they have not been allowed in for months.

Others are terrified the huge influx of foreigners in the city could lead to another spike in coronavirus infections – especially because the UK hosts a number of highly-contagious variants.

Resident Alexandre Magalhaes told the Guardian: ‘If they open [the stadiums] for the English, they should open [them] for all.’

His government had said English football fans would have to fly in today for the match, stay in a bubble before flying home immediately after the game finished.

But they scrapped the bubble requirment on Thursday and later lifted restrictions on movement amid the overwhelming number of Britons.

Another local said: ‘If these [new rules] are true I will not comply with any more lockdowns. This is a shame for everyone who continues to comply with health rules.’

Locals are annoyed the stadium has been opened up for Britons to enjoy the Champions League final when they have not been allowed in for months. Pictured: A bus at Porto airport

Others are terrified the huge influx of foreigners in the city could lead to another spike in coronavirus infections – especially because the UK hosts a number of highly-contagious variants. Pictured: Porto airport 

Resident Alexandre Magalhaes told the Guardian: ‘If they open [the stadiums] for the English, they should open [them] for all.’ Pictured: City fans at Porto airport 

Portugal’s government had said English football fans would have to fly in today for the match, stay in a bubble before flying home immediately after the game finished

Another local said: ‘If these [new rules] are true I will not comply with any more lockdowns. This is a shame for everyone who continues to comply with health rules.’ Pictured: Fans at Porto airport 

Three fans flash their Covid negative wristbands that will let them enter the ground for the Champions League final tonight

Last night rival gangs from the two teams clashed with riot police armed with batons on the streets of Porto ahead of tonight’s fixture.

Supporters fought each other and local officers by the Douro river in the north-west Portuguese city after a bar stool was hurled back and forth.

Armed with flags adorned with their club crests, English fans flouted social distancing as they threw punches and lit up flares in skirmishes following a day of heavy drinking.

Photos earlier in the day showed hundreds of topless supporters drinking and cheering ahead of the UEFA Champions League final at the Dragao stadium, the home ground of FC Porto.

Up to 16,500 fans will be admitted, with each side allocated 6,000 tickets – with around 2,000 going to UEFA delegates and sponsors – and the rest sold to regular punters in Portugal.

But thousands more who do not have tickets will also face the agony of missing the game on TV, as bars in Porto close at 10.30pm on Saturday night as per coronavirus regulations.

Antonio Fonseca, chairman of the Association of Bar Keepers of Historic Porto, said he feared there would be trouble if bars and restaurants closed at that time.

He told MailOnline: ‘I’m worried about this aspect – if the game goes into extra time and it has penalties like the other night it won’t finish until maybe 10.45, so we face the prospect of owners asking people to leave with the match yet to finish. Who is going to be brave enough to tell these people who have been drinking all day to go?

‘It raises the possibility of violence and aggression and that’s why we asked the local council for an extension but so far we have heard nothing. It’s not going to be easy to ask the English supporters to leave.

‘This situation should have been taken care of. In the past, the Porto authorities met with us but unfortunately, they have not done so.

‘Everything will shut at the same time which means there will be large groups on the streets and the police will have to disperse them quickly.’

Rival gangs of English football fans clashed with riot police armed with batons on the streets of Porto last night ahead of the hotly anticipated Champions League final tonight

Manchester City fans seen clashing with Portuguese police in Porto on Friday night ahead of the Champions League Final tonight

Manchester City fans seen in Porto ahead of the Champions League Final. There were chaotic scenes as they clashed with each other and police 

Chelsea fan Adrian Garrat, from Dorking, who arrived last night said: ‘What? The bars shut at 10.30? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Sounds crazy to me if it goes to extra time and penalties.’

There were shameful scenes along the riverside in Porto city centre as rivals fought after a day of drinking in the sunshine. Several punch ups broke out and police baton charged fans to stop the violence.

Police had banned glasses and bottles and the throwing of beer at rivals did not result in serious injury.

One officer said: ‘The English fans have been drinking all day and some have tried to fight. But we have stopped them. They have been warned they will be jailed if they do not behave.’

Thousands of fans will take day trips on Saturday to the final, and will be escorted to and from the stadium and airport to limit exposure in a Covid-secure bubble. 

A total of 16,500 fans are allowed to watch the game in the stadium, 33 per cent of the 50,000 capacity. More have travelled either in the hope of finding a ticket or simply to be in close proximity to the action while on holiday.

Fans have to have proof of a negative PCR Covid test to enter the venue carried out from May 26 or lateral flow test from May 28.

The game was originally supposed to take place in Istanbul, but the UK placed Turkey on the ‘red’ list – meaning travellers would have had to quarantine for 14-days upon their return.

There are others arriving in Porto who are not restricted by those measures who the police are said to be keeping a close eye on.

Portugal was one of only a handful of countries added to the UK’s ‘green list’ of places to travel from May 17.

But hundreds of thousands of Britons may use a loophole to fly there before travelling over land to their second homes in Spain, France and Italy.

The opening up of flights saw a rush of people jetting to Faro, Porto or Lisbon but there was nothing to stop them renting a car and driving into Europe.