Real Madrid are champions of Europe yet again. For a third straight year, the Zinedine Zidane-led Spanish giants won the Champions League crown in a riveting match marked by the best of Gareth Bale and, unfortunately, the worst of Loris Karius.
Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3–1 courtesy of two goals from Bale and two colossal goalkeeping blunders from Karius. Bale’s first goal gave Madrid its second lead of the final and will go down as one of the greatest goals ever scored—an incredible bicycle kick goal rivalling that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s against Juventus in the competition’s semifinal.
After a scoreless first half in which Liverpool’s best player Mohamed Salah went off injured after being tackled by Sergio Ramos, the Reds’ Sadio Mané evened the score at 1–1 after Karius gifted Karim Benzema Madrid’s opener.
Then the Bale show took over after the Welshman came on as a substitute in the second half.
Real Madrid and Liverpool are two of the biggest clubs in world football and put on an up-tempo, riveting final.
Real Madrid won Europe’s top club football crown for the fourth time in five years. In fact, the most successful club in European football hasn’t lost a Champions League or European Cup final since 1981 when they fell to Liverpool—they’ve now won seven crowns since.
Liverpool played in its third Champions League final in 13 years and won the most dramatic one in 2005 when it overcame a 0–3 halftime deficit before scoring three in the second half, and winning a penalty shootout.
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