After a few minutes of moving around with the ball, both sides were directed back towards their dressing rooms as the time for the start of the game approached.
For the excited fans in the stadium, kick-off couldn't come any sooner.
However, while they were waiting, near the centre circle, a small podium was quickly and quietly raised, almost as if it were trying not to draw attention to itself.
A few fans, mostly younger ones, even pointed towards it and asked their guardians or parents, but with how unassuming it was, it was hard to figure out what it was, though the expressions on a few faces as the broadcast camera panned across the stadium suggested that they might have had an idea of what was to come.
Then the lights softened, just a touch, and the first notes of the Champions League anthem spilt into the stadium.
The players emerged again, this time in order with their mascots by their side and the match officials leading the way.
