Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus: Ronaldo double seals 12th European Cup
The first half was a close affair but Los Blancos stormed to victory in the second period
Two goals in three minutes killed Juventus and handed Madrid their third in four years
This was a match buried under plots and subplots, and for a while it was buried under fire-spitting machines and pop stars too. But when the Champions League final started, late thanks to the Black Eyed Peas and their needless pre-match performance, Real Madrid couldn’t be buried any longer.
Juventus
1 ________________ 4
Real Madrid
LINE UP
Juventus
Buffon; Barzagli (Cuadrado, 66'), Bonucci, Chiellini; Alves, Pjanic (Marchisio, 70'), Khedira, Alex Santos; Dybala (Lemina, 77'), Huguaín y Mandzukic.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos (Morata, 89'), Isco (Marco Asensio, 82'); Cristiano Ronaldo y Benzema (Bale, 77').
Goles
0-1 M.20 Cristiano Ronaldo. 1-1 M.27 Mandzukic. 1-2 M.61 Casemiro. 1-3 M.67 Cristiano Ronaldo. 1-4 M.90 Marco Asensio.
Árbitro
Felix Brych (Alemán). Amonestó a Dybala (11'), Sergio Ramos (31'), Carvajal (41'), Kroos (53'), Pjanic (66'), Alex Sandro (70'), Cuadrado (71') (83') y Asensio (91'). TR: Cuadrado (83').
Incidencias
Partido dispuatado en el 'The National Stadium of Wales' ante unos 74.000 espectadores.
Juventus tried, though. For 45 minutes they looked capable of ending their run of four Champions League final defeats and stopping Madrid from winning their 12th.
But Zinedine Zidane’s side were too strong and with the same cruel finesse they displayed week in, week out in La Liga, they scored and scored again. And again.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired Los Blancos ahead in the 20th minute against the run of play, after Juventus started well. The Portugal forward exchanged passes with Dani Carvajal and drilled home from inside the area with the help of a slight deflection.
Seven minutes later Juventus were level, with Mario Mandzukic scoring one of the finest goals netted in the competition. Evoking memories of Zinedine Zidane’s stunning volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 final, Mandzukic controlled the ball on his chest and fired home an overhead kick that Keylor Navas watched fly over his head and into the net.
Juve deserved the goal and the game was tense, close and tight. Until Casemiro, of all people, sent Madrid ahead. It was another deflected strike and it skipped past Gianluigi Buffon, who remains without the title in an otherwise complete career.
Ronaldo added a third shortly after and Marco Asensio notched the fourth after fine work by Marcelo, as Real Madrid dominated the second half and secured a victory which was, in the end, deserved.
Juan Cuadrado was sent off thanks to some Sergio Ramos playacting, but in the grand scheme of things it was irrelevant. Madrid's duodecima was complete, the third Champions League they have won in four seasons, the first team to defend the title in the modern era.
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