Real Madrid defends Champions League title

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

After last year’s victory against crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid at San Siro in Milan, Spanish capital football club Real Madrid defeated Italian giants Juventus FC 4–1 in the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first goal of the match from Dani Carvajal’s pass in the 20th minute becoming the first player to score in three Champions League finals. This marked the 500th goal in the European Championship for Real Madrid. Not much later, Mario Mandžuki? scored a goal from an overhead kick in the 27th minute from former Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuaín. Three players were booked in the first half — Juve’s Paulo Dybala, Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal as the first half ended 1–1.

Just after the one hour mark, Casemiro made it 2–1 as his right footed shot deflecting off Sami Khedira found the net, and three minutes later, Ronaldo netted his 600th career goal from Luka Modri?’s cross from just six yards in front of the goal. Juan Cuadrado, who was substituted after the scoreline was 1–3, was booked twice in the span of eleven minutes, in the 72nd and 83rd minutes, making the situation harder for trailing Juventus. The ten-men Juve had seven minutes plus injury time to minimise the damage. But, a 90th minute goal by Marco Asensio ensured the game ended without going into extra time like last year’s final. Asensio was shown a yellow card for his celebration.

Real Madrid, under Zinedine Zidane, secured their twelfth European title; their sixth Champions League trophy after the tournament’s rebranding, becoming the first club to win consecutive Champions League titles. They also won the La Liga title this season. Juve’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, missed out on what would have been his first Champions League title. Juventus missed their second chance to win a treble, previously denied by FC Barcelona two years ago.

Ronaldo is to face his former club Manchester United and his former manager at Real Madrid in 2012, José Mourinho in the UEFA Super Cup in Macedonia, scheduled for August 8. Ronaldo has now won four Champions League titles — three with Los Blancos and one with Manchester — and finished as the Champions League top scorer netting twelve goals this season ahead of Lionel Messi. For the last four years, Spanish clubs have won four European Championship in a row, Real Madrid and Barcelona, more than any other European country.