Even in a final that started 36 minutes late, Real Madrid are still on time to make history. A matter of habit, know-how and a bit of success; the one who is said to smile at those who provoke her. The red stand of Liverpool can sing a last You’ll never walk alone in stoppage time, Real is heading towards its fourteenth Champions League after this narrow victory (1-0) on Saturday May 28 in Saint-Denis.
“Here is Real Madrid”, summarizes in French in the text a Carlo Ancelotti as if there was nothing more to add. The Real coach says to himself ” fortunate “. Lucky to train big teams which helps to win the Champions Leagues, but you still have to know how to guide them to the top. He knows it better than anyone. For the Italian, this is the fourth after those won with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007, before a first success with the “Merengues” in 2014.
Luck. The word accompanies Real’s European journey this season. But in his software, luck does not exist. We talk about hatred, about the culture of victory, Luka Modric will rightly say that he “has nothing to say” to those who think his team walked on a field of four-leaf clovers. At 36, the Croatian midfielder is like his team: he has his weak moments, but his strong moments are enough to dominate the others.
Jürgen Klopp sums it up in two clinical sentences. “We had more shots on target, but the most decisive stat is in favor of Real. They scored a goal, we didn’t. That’s the simplest explanation.”blows the manager of the Reds, annoyed but ” iron ” of the performance of his players despite the defeat.
Like Manchester City (3-4/3-1 ap), Chelsea (3-1/2-3 ap) and even Paris-Saint-Germain (0-1/3-1), his Liverpool dominated Madrid, printed its time. Like them, he failed to unlock the secret of this team capable of scoring on ersatz chances and defending in their penalty area with the selflessness of amateurs in 32e of the Coupe de France final.
Real have come too close to the precipice in the previous rounds, but not to fall there at the last moment. Somehow, he felt predestined for this happy scenario. To believe that he holds the pen. « It seemed written, it’s true, we achieved very complicated things… even I couldn’t explain it, “ concedes the French defender, Ferland Mendy, at the microphone of Canal +.
Courtois was invincible
Great games belong to great players, this one belonged to a great goalkeeper. With his double meter, Thibaut Courtois occupies a lot of space in the cages. This Saturday evening, he eats a little more space and the balloons inevitably bounce off him. “When the goalkeeper is voted player of the match, it’s very bad for the other team”quips Jürgen Klopp with a more wry smile than usual.
Halfway, near, far, head or foot, his players have tried everything. His first save on a shot from Mohamed Salah sets the tone (16e). Sadio Mané sees an attempt repelled by the Belgian on the post (21e), Salah (again) has two equalizing balls. Each time, the Egyptian will make the right gesture, each time he will hold his head after Courtois’ parade (64e69e80e).
“Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the effort I’ve made, for my name to be respected, because I don’t think I’m respected enough, especially in England.told the former Chelsea goalkeeper at the microphone of BT Sport. I saw a lot of reviews, even after a great season. »
Real Madrid opener! ⚪️ Valverde finds a perfect interval to center on Vinicius Jr who ma… https://t.co/SFXcnpmUuY
In 1981, Liverpool beat Real in the European Champion Clubs’ Cup final at the Parc des Princes by the narrowest of margins (1-0). Since then, defender Alan Kennedy has been a hero on the banks of the Mersey for his goal. The Kennedy of Real is called Vinicius. At the 59e minute, the Brazilian striker trails in the right place to take back with his (bad) right foot a cross from Federico Valverde which is suspected to be a crushed shot. But this Real transforms missed shots into assists. If you haven’t figured it out yet…
More discreet than in previous rounds, Karim Benzema shot well and scored the first. But with the help of the video, French referee Clément Turpin deemed his compatriot offside after an action which reminds us that football’s law 11 is the most subtle, especially when it comes to interpretation, and knowing if Reds midfielder Fabinho put the top scorer in this Champions League back on the line after an intentional gesture.
Not enough to spoil the joy of a Benzema who must prepare to find space on the fireplace to store a Ballon d’Or on October 17. The French impressed the retina and marked the spirits as a player rarely did over the duration of a season in the Champions League. The attacker thinks “not being able to do better in a club” with his 15 goals. “That’s not even debatable,” even believes Carlo Ancelotti.