Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid: Vinicius strikes as Blancos become European champions for 14th time

Kick-off
was
pushed
back
by
more
than
30
minutes
as
Liverpool
fans
struggled
to
gain
entry
to
the
Stade
de
France,
eventually
taking
their
places
to
see
Jurgen
Klopp’s
men
control
much
of
the
proceedings.

But
Madrid
got
the
vital
goal
in
the
59th
minute
when
Vinicius
tucked
away
his
fourth
of
this
season’s
competition
–
from
one
of
just
four
Blancos
attempts.

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Premier
League
runners-up
Liverpool
were
denied
by
a
string
of
superb
saves
from
Thibaut
Courtois
either
side
of
that
strike,
and
Carlo
Ancelotti’s
side
held
on
to
lift
the
European
Cup
for
a
14th
time
–
seven
more
than
any
other
side.

Liverpool
had
started
in
confident
mood
following
the
delay
and
only
failed
to
take
the
lead
inside
the
opening
20
minutes
courtesy
of
two
fine
stops
from
Courtois.

The
Real
Madrid
goalkeeper
got
down
quickly
to
keep
out
Mohamed
Salah’s
instinctive
effort,
before
he
superbly
pawed
Sadio
Mane’s
powerful
strike
onto
the
post.

Madrid
thought
they
had
taken
the
lead
shortly
before
the
interval
when
Karim
Benzema
stroked
home
after
some
slapstick
defending
from
Liverpool,
yet
it
was
ruled
out
for
offside
against
the
France
international
–
the
decision
confirmed
by
the
VAR
after
a
lengthy
review.

They
were
not
to
be
denied
just
before
the
hour
mark,
however,
when
Vinicius
stole
in
behind
Trent
Alexander-Arnold
to
turn
in
Federico
Valverde’s
low
ball
across
the
penalty
area.

Courtois
made
three
vital
saves
from
Salah
inside
the
final
20
minutes
–
the
last
of
which
really
caught
the
eye
–
to
cap
a
wonderful
individual
display
and
ensure
Ancelotti’s
men
claimed
a
record-extending
triumph.

Meanwhile,
UEFA
has
blamed
the
delays
which
plagued
the
Champions
League
final
on
fans
trying
to
use
“fake
tickets”
after
Liverpool
requested
a
formal
investigation
into
the
disruption.

European
football’s
governing
body
announced
an
initial
15-minute
delay
citing
“security
reasons”
for
the
hold-up
in
fans
entering
the
stadium.

Both
sides
had
already
completed
their
warm-ups
by
the
time
kick-off
was
first
delayed
and
had
made
their
way
back
to
the
dressing
rooms
in
Paris.

The
two
teams
returned
for
a
second
warm-up
at
21:05
local
time
before
the
match
finally
started
at
21:36
–
36
minutes
later
than
planned
–
after
a
second
delay.

Liverpool
later
released
a
statement
on
the
matter,
requesting
an
investigation
into
the
events.

“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
statement
read.

UEFA
later
blamed
the
use
of
fake
tickets
for
the
hold-up
in
supporters’ entries,
promising
to
review
the
situation
alongside
local
authorities.

“In
the
lead-up
to
the
game,
the
turnstiles
at
the
Liverpool
end
became
blocked
by
thousands
of
fans
who
had
purchased
fake
tickets
which
did
not
work
in
the
turnstiles,”
a
UEFA
statement
read.

“This
created
a
build-up
of
fans
trying
to
get
in.
As
a
result,
the
kick-off
was
delayed
by
35
minutes
to
allow
as
many
fans
as
possible
with
genuine
tickets
to
gain
access.

“As
numbers
outside
the
stadium
continued
to
build
up
after
kick-off,
the
police
dispersed
them
with
tear
gas
and
forced
them
away
from
the
stadium.

“UEFA
is
sympathetic
to
those
affected
by
these
events
and
will
further
review
these
matters
urgently,
together
with
the
French
police
and
authorities
and
with
the
French
Football
Federation.”