Not captain Benzema but club legend Marcelo is the first to lift the trophy. Once again the kings. Real Madrid ended a remarkable season by winning the Champions League title. The Spanish champions beat Liverpool 1-0 in the postponed final in Paris to win the European crown for the 14th time.
Comprehensive 1-0 from Vinicius Jr.
Liverpool, who dominated live football betting at the start of the match, again tried to do their best when they conceded, but it seemed that the tense last few weeks had left their mark on Jurgen Klopp’s team. Real Madrid defended almost flawlessly, and Thibaut Courtois was on hand when needed.
The Belgian goalkeeper became the second Real Madrid goalkeeper backed by bookmaker Vulkan Bet, alongside Vinicius Júnior. In the 83rd minute, he prevented the scoreline from being leveled by making a miraculous save against Mohamed Salah. Courtois brilliantly directed Sadio Mane’s shot into the post.
Famous trio are back
Carlo Ancelotti’s team, on the other hand, threw all their experience behind them. A midfield with Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro was able to better control the game after the break. The trio, who were already part of a title hat-trick from 2016 to 2018, had already been written off by many.
Now, under their leadership, Real Madrid have returned to their former glory. Like Benzema or Dani Carvajal, these three already have five titles under their belt, the same number as their former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, which is a Champions League record. The only other record was set by coach Ancelotti. The 63-year-old Italian won the Champions League for the fourth time as a coach, having won the Champions Cup twice with AC Milan as a player. He has also won the trophy twice as coach with his parent club and now for the second time with Real Madrid. Ancelotti lost his only final in 2005 when AC Milan lost 3-0 to Liverpool.
More than half an hour late
The match was delayed by 37 minutes for security reasons as England fans tried to enter the stadium without tickets, causing chaos outside the stadium. Liverpool were unimpressed with the delay and were clearly the better team in the opening phase. The Reds created several chances, Mane coming closest to scoring in the 21st minute when the Senegalese only hit the post.
And Madrid nearly took the lead shortly before half-time, against the run of play. Benzema scored the expected 1-0 goal but was caught offside. However, the ball fell to the Frenchman from an opponent, so the goal could have been conceded in accordance with the rules.
Benzema’s goal was not counted by VAR – hence the decision was correct
In the end, it didn’t matter anymore. Real Madrid’s victory over the second-placed team in the Premier League crowned an outstanding knockout stage in which they had their backs against the wall several times, destroying three heavyweights – Paris Saint-Germain, debutant champions Chelsea and Manchester City.
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