Champions League final: 5 talking points as Real Madrid beat Liverpool for 14th title-Sports News , Firstpost

Real Madrid picked up their 14th Champions League title after beating Liverpool 1-0 at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday night. A solitary Vinicius Jr. goal just before the hour mark proved decisive in a 1-0 win.

The match was delayed by 36 minutes at the start after disturbing scenes outside the stadium with many Liverpool fans bottle-necked near the turnstiles, pepper spray and tear gas was used and clashes broke out after full-time on the way to the metro station.

We take a look at some of the talking points that emerged from the 67th UEFA Champions League final:

Courtois the real MVP!

When headlines, highlights packages and video montages are made, the goal scorers get prominence. Or the assists providers. But never the saves, never the goalkeeper’s contributions. This is going to go down as another such instance. Thibaut Courtois was exceptional in goal, as he has been all season, and denied Liverpool from scoring on multiple occasions. In the 20th minute, the tall Belgian pushed a Sadio Mane effort straight at the goalpost.

But it was Mohamed Salah who came close to scoring and found Courtois there to deny him repeatedly. None more prominent than in the 82nd minute when Salah got past Ferland Mendy and unleashed a right footed shot which was pushed away by Courtois’ strong right hand. As the Real Madrid defence applauded Courtois for yet another sensational save, Salah punched the turf in frustration.

In all, the 30-year-old made nine saves – most by a goalkeeper in a Champions League final since records began in 2003. He later admitted he was motivated by lack of appreciation from those in England despite winning titles with Chelsea. He made a special mention of Four Four Two magazine that didn’t include him in the list of 10 best goalkeepers in the world for their March edition. “… after a season like this they don’t put you in the first 10, it is strange,” said Courtois. With his Champions League final heroics, Courtois has clearly proven them wrong.

Deplorable scenes overshadow spectacle

It is hard to say which is the worst part of the awful scenes outside Stade de France. The fact that ticketed fans were pushed, tear-gassed and had to go through an ordeal to get inside the stadium. Or UEFA’s communication, or lack of, of the situation. At first, the official announcement in the stadium said it was “due to the late arrival of fans”. That claim has been debunked by several Liverpool supporters who arrived hours before kickoff and were unable to get in.

“We are hugely disappointed at the stadium entry issues and breakdown of the security perimeter that Liverpool fans faced this evening at Stade de France,” the English club said in a statement.

“This is the greatest match in European football and supporters should not have to experience the scenes we have witnessed tonight.

Later, the official statement from UEFA blamed “fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles” for the chaos.

For a game of this magnitude, an event where tickets are scarcely available to fans in the first place, exorbitantly priced at that, to be this badly managed points fingers at UEFA, stadium security and the host cities.

Liverpool give in to the inevitable

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts at the end of the Champions League final against Real Madrid. AP

Liverpool had chances aplenty in the first half. Rather, in the first 40 minutes. A quick rundown: Salah flick, saved by Courtois. Salah snap shot at Courtois. Mane shots hits the post. Salah heads straight at Courtois. At half time, Liverpool had five shots on target. They thus had as many shots on target as they did in their two previous Champions League final appearances combined.

But the second half proved to be a different story. After Vinicius Jr.’s goal in the 59th minute, Liverpool seemed to give in to the inevitability of a Real Madrid win. The script did suggest that. Los Blancos had won their seven previous Champions League finals (which became eight in the end). And Liverpool players, bar a few, appeared to accept it was hard to get past the resolute Real Madrid defence.

Salah went close in the 64th minute, in the 68th minute and most notably in the 82nd minute with a fierce right footed shot that has brought him plenty of goals over the years. Except the Egyptian forward, none of the Liverpool players or even manager Jurgen Klopp had ideas to turn things around.

Liverpool’s quest for a quadruple thus ends with two trophies – League Cup and FA Cup – and in agony in the Premier League and Champions League.

Real Madrid find next gear in the second half

Vinicius Jr scored the only goal in Real Madrid’s win over Liverpool in the Champions League final. AP

Liverpool’s lack of ideas was in part fostered by Real Madrid growing into the game. Having endured 40 minutes of Liverpool pressure with Courtois making save after save, with Modric finding it difficult to get himself involved, Casemiro making repeated turnovers, the final five minutes of the first half and the second half were different stories.

In the closing stages of the first, Benzema plucked a long ball from David Alaba, had a chance to take it first time but tried to pass it to a teammate instead. A scramble brought the ball back to him and the Frenchman scored. After a lengthy VAR check, Benzema was adjudged to have been offside.

In the second 45 minutes, Real Madrid found their groove, moved the ball around well and used the spaces properly. Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Federico Valverde started to dominate the midfield. Valverde who hadn’t been afforded the luxury to make his usual lung-bursting runs turned provider for Real Madrid’s only goal. His shot/pass found Vinicius unmarked at the far post with Trent Alexander-Arnold caught ball watching.

From then on, Real Madrid controlled the flow and momentum of the game exceptionally well. Intricate passes, one-two’s in small spaces got the defenders and midfielders out of Liverpool’s high press. Casemiro was immense in the second half with four tackles, three interceptions, three clearances and a block. The Brazilian, who has been found wanting at times in moving the ball, barely made an error and transformed into a solid defensive midfielder for the second half to aid Alaba and Eder Militao.

Carlo Ancelotti with yet another record

Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti is congratulated after the Champions League final. AP

For all his records and glory, Carlo Ancelotti is not considered as one of the best managers in the world. Kroos touched upon it before the final when he told ZDF, “It’s a pity that [Jupp] Heynckes and Ancelotti are reduced to being good dressing room managers.”

“I don’t think they are done justice. It sounds like they don’t know anything about tactics. They may take the less complicated footballing route most of the time, but they are very clear about how they want their teams to play, defend and attack. That aspect is not usually taken into account when you talk about them.”

The Italian had already reached a milestone this season. He became the first manager to win a title in all five big European leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France). Now he has become the most successful manager in European football.

Ancelotti, managing a team in the Champions League final for the fifth time – also a record – has now won the European Cup four times. He thus goes past Zinedine Zidane and Bob Paisley as the managers with three titles.

With the Champions League title, and the manner of the run over the course of 13 matches, Ancelotti definitely deserves more credit.

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