Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid secured a record-extending 14th European Champion when they beat Liverpool 1-0 in a Champions League final at Stade de France on Saturday evening.
🇧🇷 Vinícius Júnior writes his name into history 🙌#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/0hGh9JFeUO
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 28, 2022
Carlo Ancelotti is the first coach to win the European Cup four times; he is also the only one to have taken a team to five finals.
Crowning moment 🎉🎉🎉 #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/xAWFfdYAOZ
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 28, 2022
Vinicius jr scored just before the hour with Real’s first attempt on goal. Vinícius Jr strikes for Madrid in his first Champions League final.
Thibaut Courtois made several fine saves to deny Liverpool, who end the season with two domestic cups having also failed to win the Premier League.
It was La Liga champion Real Madrid’s fourth Champions League crown in seven years.
Real Madrid have now won twice as many European Cups as any other club (AC Milan have won seven); they have won all eight finals in which they have played in the UEFA Champions League era.
Player of the Match: Thibaut Courtois;”Crucial saves at critical moments during the first half when Liverpool were on top,”UEFA Technical Observer panel.
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said , “If we’re being honest we could have played a bit better, especially in the second half. We didn’t start great, they got a hold of the game more. They’re an experienced team and once they got in front, they know how to win finals and they showed that.”
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said ,”The problem is when you play against Real Madrid and they play that deep, their counterattacking threat is immense. I saw us doing a lot of good things, but it was not enough. We accept that. They scored a goal and we didn’t – that’s the easiest explanation in the world of football. It’s harsh, but we respect that of course. When the goalkeeper is man of the match, something is going wrong. Courtois made three incredible saves, but I would have loved to have more chances of this calibre. In the final third some of the crosses we made towards Courtois didn’t make much sense.”
Real Madrid goalkeeperThibaut Courtois said , “The most important save was the Mané one, I think. It was difficult, I really used every centimetre of the two metres I have, and then turned fast to get the rebound. I really felt that today after the first save nobody was going to score against me, and I was so determined to win a Champions League with Real Madrid and that’s what happened.”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said , “We’ve achieved something that nobody expected of us at the start of the season, and we’ve done that thanks to our quality, our commitment, our history: everything. I was very confident [going into the game] because I know the attitude of these players, especially in matches like this. The confidence that we had going into the match helped us to win it. I don’t think it was so bad [at the start of the match]. We didn’t want them to play the ball forward so much, so we lowered the block a bit, and they didn’t get a chance in behind. That was the plan that we’d prepared.
This was the most difficult Champions League title I’ve ever won. The side were pushed on to fight by the fact nobody believed we could win it. We created a good atmosphere and we’ve deserved to win this competition. We’ve suffered, but we have never given up. The key was to not give their front three any space in behind. We won, deservedly, against a great side who haven’t lost many games this season.”
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Champions League Liverpool Real Madrid Football Sports Europe