PARIS (AP) – Another Champions League title for Real Madrid, the undisputed king of Europe.
Another example of a European football match, tainted by chaotic crowd problems and disorder.
Madrid became European champions for a record 14th time – twice as many as any other team on the continent – after beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final, which began 37 minutes late due to disturbing scenes outside the Stade de France on Saturday . He evoked memories of the violence that overshadowed the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium 10 months ago.
Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr. was the winner of the match, striking close in the 59th minute from Federico Valverde’s shot on the face of the goal, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois received just as much applause, making breathtaking saves from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
“No one would stand in my way today,” Courtois said. “I would have won the Champions League, no matter what.
This gave Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti his fourth European Cup title, the greatest manager in the history of the competition, and ended the Champions League-La Liga double for the Spanish giant, for whom winning titles is rooted in his culture.
And this time there was no need for an exciting comeback, which Madrid had to make to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, defending champions Chelsea and Manchester City in the elimination round. This could be the most exhausting road to the title in the long history of the competition
“We are the best,” said Madrid striker Karim Benzema. “It was a very difficult race for us and we deserved to win this final. With all the history that this team has, we have shown everyone that we are always here. “
The Liverpool players ended a season that promised so much – a week ago he was fighting for an unprecedented quadruple trophy – with only two domestic cups in England, which showed their efforts. They lost the Premier League title by one point last weekend and the Champions League to a team from Madrid that had one shot on target in the final.
Playing his 64th game of the season, Liverpool simply could not find a way past Courtois, who directed Manet’s shot from the first half to the crossbar and made an even better save to deflect Salah’s efforts in the 81st.
It is amazing that Liverpool, which has one of the most destructive attacks in world football, has failed to score a single goal in its three Cup finals this season. The Reds won the FA Cup and the League Cup on penalties after a 0-0 draw after extra time.
“Nobody in the locker room thinks it was a great season right now,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool players stayed on the field to watch Marcelo, a serial winner of Madrid trophies who did not play a minute in the final, was honored to lift the trophy amid fireworks and a ribbon.
Marcelo is one of many Madrid players to win a fifth Champions League title, just one of the records of Francisco Gento, a Madrid great from the 1950s and 1960s.
For many, especially Liverpool fans, the problems with the audience before the match overshadowed this final and will certainly be at the center of an investigation by UEFA and the authorities in the coming days.
Ri-nd police uses tear gas and pepper spray against Liverpool supporters, forced to wait in long queues to enter the largest club match of the European season, which was postponed.
UEFA has blamed the chaos on people trying to enter the stadium without legitimate tickets.
“At the beginning of the match, the turnstiles at the end of Liverpool were blocked by thousands of fans who bought fake tickets that did not work in the turnstiles,” said a statement from UEFA.
Some fans climbed the fences around the stadium to enter. Others slipped past the guards and rushed to the hall before fighting on the ground.
Anti-riot police with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent fans’ pockets from making their way to the stadium.
“I have very severe asthma and I’ve had tear gas twice,” Liverpool fan Angela Murphy told the Associated Press over a fence. “I’m really struggling.”
About 15 minutes before the scheduled start at 9 pm local time, it was announced that there would be a delay. It was met with ridicule in the stadium.
Liverpool have said they are “very disappointed” with the security concerns their fans are reminiscent of last summer outside Wembley before the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy. This is largely due to the fact that English fans were aggressively trying to enter their home stadium.
“I know the families have had a real struggle to get into the stadium,” Klopp said. “We leave it to the investigation to find out … It was obviously quite complicated there.”
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