That's it from the Champions League final and the European club football
season. Now the countdown to the World Cup in Russia truly begins!
After a first half that didn't offer much, the game came alive in the
second period. A huge mistake from Loris Karius provided Karim Benzema
with the easiest goal of his career but there was hope for Liverpool
after Sadio Mane equalised. A moment of magic from Gareth Bale put Los
Blancos back in front and another horrendous mistake from Karius gave
Bale his second, with Real Madrid winning 3-1.
REAL MADRID WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
FULL-TIME! The whistle blows and Real Madrid have won the Champions League for the third season in a row!
90' + 1' THREE minutes remaining in Kiev, Real Madrid moments away from getting their hands on the Champions League trophy once again.
Marco Asensio
K. Benzema
89' Substitution Karim Benzema Marco Asensio Willemsen
88' STAT: Gareth Bale is the first player to come on as a sub and score twice in a Champions League/European Cup final.
87'
Karius looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up and I'd be
extremely surprised if he remains between the sticks for next season. He
may well have just kissed goodbye to his Liverpool career, there's no
forgiving these mistakes.
85'
Bale surges through on goal and hunts for the hat-trick but a brilliant
sliding tackle from Mane. Ronaldo is furious as he was wide open for a
tap-in.
85'
Bale surges through on goal and hunts for the hat-trick but a brilliant
sliding tackle from Mane. Ronaldo is furious as he was wide open for a
tap-in.
Marcelo
Assist
83' Marcelo the creator again but it's Bale and Karius who will take the headlines.
G. Bale
Goal
83'
GOAL! Another howler from Karius! Bale takes aim from a long way out
and it's straight at Karius but he fumbles the ball into the net. He's
had a nightmare this evening.
E. Can
J. Milner
83' Milner makes way as Emre Can comes on for potentially his last appearance in a Liverpool shirt.
S. Mané
Yellow Card
82' First yellow card of the game is issued to Mane, who clatters into Ramos.
81'
SAVE! A fantastic ball from Bale using the outside of his foot to
switch the play to Benzema and the France striker sees his attempt saved
by Karius. Liverpool are starting to look rather stretched.
80'
Real Madrid edging closer to winning three Champions League trophies in
a row and four in the past five years, which is frankly ridiculous.
There seems to be no stopping them.
78'
Liverpool continue to keep Real Madrid under pressure and they've
certainly upped their game since falling behind again. Varane continues
to thwart their attacking efforts though, emerging at crucial periods to
bring the end to the Reds' advances.
76'
Less than 15 minutes remaining in the Champions League final and you'd
expect Liverpool to have at least one more golden opportunity. The
problem is Real Madrid will probably have the same.
74'
What a tackle! Ronaldo look destined to score, moments after Liverpool
had a penalty appeal turned down at the other end, but Robertson slid in
superbly to quell the opportunity and clear the ball behind for a
corner.
72'
Liverpool are certainly not out of the game yet and Klopp still has two
changes available to him. As mentioned though, his options in the final
third are limited with just Can and Solanke to choose from.
70'
OFF THE POST! Without Salah, it's Mane pulling the strings. He drives a
low attempt at goal that has Navas beaten but it bounces back off the
frame of the goal.
69'
Crucial intervention from Ramos, who stretches as far as he can to
prevent Robertson's ball finding Mane and puts the ball behind for a
corner. Milner whips it in but Navas punches it away.
67' STAT: Gareth Bale scored 2 Minutes 2 seconds after coming on. Quite an introduction.
66' The best goal in a Champions League final since Zidane's volley against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002. Sensational.
Marcelo
Assist
64'
Marcelo's cross, in truth, was rather poor and looked to be pretty
harmless. I don't think anyone would have predicted that from Bale.
G. Bale
Goal
64'
GOAL! Unbelievable! Bale has only just come off the bench and has
provided a moment of sheer magic. Marcelo's cross to the edge of the
area finds the Wales ace, who acrobatically volleys over his head and
leaves Karius with no chance. Absolutely remarkable.
63'
Bale isn't really the sort of player Liverpool would like to see coming
off the bench with fresh legs, particularly as their own options on the
sidelines are fairly limited in terms of attacking flair.
G. Bale
Isco
61' Real Madrid make their second change of the game, introducing the in-form Bale for Isco.
60'
SAVE! Modric tees a ball through to Nacho down the right, who drills a
low cross into Isco in the middle. The Spain midfielder takes one touch
before firing at goal, forcing a decent stop from Karius.
60'
STAT: Liverpool are the first team in history to see three players
score 10+ goals in a single Champions League season (Salah 10, Firmino
10, Mané 10).
59'
Liverpool's response has been magnificent and they've rekindled the
bite that they showed in the opening stages of the match. They're
putting Real Madrid under significant pressure when they don't have the
ball and Los Blancos are finding it difficult to move into space.
57' STAT: Benzema is the 1st French player to score in a Champions League final since Zinédine Zidane in 2002.
D. Lovren
Assist
55' Simple but effective from Liverpool and Lovren put the ball on a plate for Mane. The perfect response from Liverpool.
S. Mané
Goal
55'
GOAL! Liverpool are level! Firmino floats the corner into the middle
and Lovren heads it into the danger zone, where Mane is there to tap
home from close range. Game on!
54'
Superb defending! Liverpool surge forward and an inviting cross is
curled into the middle where Firmino is lurking but Varane rises to get a
crucial touch on the ball, putting it behind for a corner.
53'
I think I know what will be top of Jurgen Klopp's shopping list this
summer. Karius has never quite looked comfortable during his Liverpool
career but that was quite remarkable.
K. Benzema
Goal
51'
GOAL! What on earth was that!? Karius easily collects a long ball
forward and tries to quickly roll the ball out but Benzema sticks a toe
out, diverting the ball into the net. What a howler!
50' A huge wake up call for Liverpool and Isco may face some sleepless nights if Real Madrid don't go on to secure victory.
48'
OFF THE BAR! A collection of errors from Liverpool opens up the Reds'
defence, with Lallana's attempted clearance falling kindly for Isco.
Karius is quick of his line but is beaten as the Spain ace lofts an
attempt against the bar. A huge chance goes begging.
47'
The game has settled back into the same style we saw for the majority
of the first period as Real Madrid dictate the tempo, while Liverpool
sit back to soak the pressure.
45'
KICK-OFF! Back underway at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, will
the game be decided within 90 minutes or will extra time be needed? It's
time to find out!
STAT: Liverpool mustered nine shots in the first-half with Mohamed Salah on the pitch, and none after he was subbed off.
Liverpool came out of the blocks flying, putting Real Madrid under
significant pressure, but then saw their performance levels drop
significantly. The absence of Salah will be a real kick in the teeth and
Klopp faces a stern task to rally his troops at the break, especially
as the game looks like it could be seperated by just a single goal.
After a slow start, Real Madrid have controlled the tempo of the game
but have struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. Barring the
offside goal, Loris Karius hasn't had too much to do and the Reds have
found it fairly easy in defence.
HALF-TIME! Nothing to seperate the two sides in Kiev following the
first 45 minutes and the major talking points will be the forced
departures for Mohamed Salah and Dani Carvajal. Karim Benzema did put
the ball in the net for Real Madrid but was correctly flagged offside.
45' + 1' THREE minutes of added time to end the first half.
45'
WIDE! Benzema is starting to become a key figure in the match and he
plays a brilliant floating cross over the defence to Nacho, who volleys
into the side netting.
43'
OFFSIDE! Real Madrid have the ball in the back of the net as Ronaldo
sees a header superbly saved by Karius before the rebound was tapped
home by Benzema. However, the flag is correctly raised on the far side.
41'
Still goalless, still not really any clear-cut chances created by
either side. Many predicted a high-scoring affair but it seems that this
game could be decided by just a single moment of magic.
39'
You have to feel for Salah and Carvajal, particularly in a World Cup
year, and the Spain defender has been here before. Two years ago in the
final against Atletico Madrid, he was also forced off injured in the
first period.
Nacho
Daniel Carvajal
37' Carvajal is indeed taken off, clearly distraught as his World Cup could also be under threat, as Nacho takes his place.
36' Now it's Real Madrid's turn for concern as Carvajal is down in tears and looks like he'll also be forced off.
34' STAT: The substituted Salah has scored 33% of Liverpool's goals in all competitions this season before this match (44/134).
32'
Crucial period for Liverpool now until the interval as they need to
ensure their heads don't drop after losing Salah. The fans haven't lost
their voice though, booing Ramos for the part he played in Salah's
injury.
A. Lallana
Mohamed Salah
30' Heartbreaking for Salah as he leaves the field in tears and has his place taken by Lallana.
29'
Really worrying signs for Salah again following a corner for Liverpool
as the Egypt ace is down once again. It doesn't look good at all.
27'
Massive sigh of relief as Salah is back on the field, though he doesn't
look fully comfortable just yet but is able to continue.
25'
Concern for Liverpool and indeed Egypt as Salah is down in a heap after
a strong challenge from Ramos. He's holding his shoulder and will
receive treatment but he looks to be in some pain.
23'
SAVE! Almost a moment to savour for Alexander-Arnold, who drives a
fierce shot through the defence but cannot beat the Costa Rica
goalkeeper.
22'
Since all that early Liverpool pressure, it's been Real Madrid
controlling the tempo of the match. There's still not been too many
chances created in the game though, with the majority of the play coming
in the central part of the field.
20'
STAT: Cristiano Ronaldo is playing his 6th European Cup/Champions
League final - only 3 players have appeared in more (8 Paolo Maldini, 8
Paco Gento, 7 Alfredo Di Stéfano).
18'
Carvajal rather bizarrely puts the ball behind for a Liverpool corner
after trying to play a long ball back to Ramos and it's Salah who trots
across to take. Navas fails to get there in the middle but Van Dijk can
only header over the bar.
16'
First defensive mistake from Liverpool sees Ronaldo unleashed down the
right and, despite the tight angle, he goes for goal. It whistles over
the top of the bar and doesn't provide any threat to Karius.
15'
Ronaldo and Salah are the two players who've dominated the discussions
this week but we're yet to see much from either of the pair.
13'
A better period of possession for Real Madrid, as they knock the ball
around in midfield. Liverpool are more than happy to allow that to
happen though, as they drop back to block any room to potentially break
into.
11'
Zidane's side patient when they get the ball, whereas Liverpool are
looking to immediately hit to exploit any space. With full-backs flying
forward for both sides, it could be the wide areas where the best
opportunities are crafted.
9'
Real Madrid are struggling to cope with Liverpool's high press at the
moment and Zidane's side cannot play their way out of the defence. It
remains to be seen whether the Reds can make their early pressure count.
7'
Varane again needing to intervene in defence as Firmino looks to thread
a ball through to Mane and it looked dangerous, providing further
encouragement for the English side.
6'
A free-kick in a decent position for Liverpool is taken by Milner, who
cuts it back to Salah but Modric is quick to close down the Egypt ace
and block his attempt.
4'
Liverpool stretching Real Madrid again as Alexander-Arnold plays a low
cross into the box that Varane is forced to fire into touch. Klopp will
be thrilled by the start from his side.
2'
Real Madrid have the game's first threatening attack, as Karius charges
off his line to punch the ball away ahead of Isco. The offside flag is
raised but the Germany stopper wasn't to know.
1'
KICK-OFF! We're underway in Kiev and Liverpool have come out of the
blocks flying, with Varane doing well defensively to halt Mane's burst
forward.
It's almost time for the biggest club match of the season. The Real
Madrid players have been through this so many times before, while for
Liverpool it's a chance to return to the summit of European football.
Let's hope for a cracking match!
Liverpool have continued to tear through defences right until the end
of the campaign, scoring 13 times in their last five matches in all
competitions. However, that run includes a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea and a
goalless draw with a Stoke City side that were relegated to the
second-tier of English football.
Real Madrid's inconsistent form towards the end of the season will
provide encouragement to Liverpool, as Los Blancos have won just one of
their last five in all competitions. However, no side has managed to
stop Zidane's side from scoring since Espanyol at the end of February.
UEFA Champions League Live
![UEFA Champions League Live]()
Reviewed by
Asaph Mic
on
19:44:00
Rating:
