Arsenal's Champions League semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night triggered the biggest broadband traffic surge ever recorded by Virgin Media O2, the company has confirmed.
Record-breaking traffic
Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, surpassing the previous record set during Liverpool's Champions League match against Real Madrid last November by 4.2 per cent.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: "Live sport is one of the biggest drivers of broadband traffic in the UK and last night's Champions League semi-final set a record on our network. As more people stream the biggest sporting moments from home, reliable, high-capacity connectivity has never been more important."
Match highlights
Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium, securing a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Atletico Madrid. Arsenal will now face either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain in the final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30, marking their first Champions League final appearance in 20 years.
Declan Rice called on Arsenal fans to fill Budapest: "Bring it on, bring it on, I'll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let's try and do it because we're going to need all the support, all the energy and let's make it special."
Manager Mikel Arteta praised his players: "It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that's involved in this football club. The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium. We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years, and the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final."
UEFA has allocated Arsenal only 16,824 tickets for the 67,000-capacity final, but Rice's plea suggests fans may travel regardless.
