Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 and won the UEFA Champions League, the 14th European title for the Spanish club. Here are the main points of conversation from the end of the match.
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1. Courtois is the key to Carlo’s 4th crown
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti rewrote the history of the Champions League after Vinicius Jr.’s goal in the second half won 1-0 against Liverpool in Paris to secure a record 14th success for Real and make Ancelotti the first coach to win four European cups.
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But while Vinicius’ goal was the turning point, Real owed their victory to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made a series of decisive saves throughout the match. The former Chelsea goalkeeper prevented Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the early stages by striking Mane against the crossbar as Liverpool tried to take advantage of a bright start to the match. Courtois continued his heroic performance in the second half, before and after his team’s breakthrough goal, to seal the convincing case for the man’s prize of the match.
By winning this match, Real avenged their final defeat in the 1981 European Cup against Liverpool in the French capital and also extended their incredible record for winning the competition. Real’s 14 European Cups are now twice as large as AC Milan, which are second in the table with seven titles. Liverpool remain at six after winning the race for the last time in 2019. And Ancelotti is now ahead of Bob Paisley of Liverpool and Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid as the most successful coaches, winning it for the fourth time. The Italian won two with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007, before adding two more with Real in 2014 and now 2022.
Thibaut Courtois was a link in Real Madrid’s victory over Liverpool. XAVIER SORIANO / AFP via Getty Images
2. Vinicius reveals the shortcomings of Alexander-Arnold
The decisive match in this match would always be the battle between Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Vinicius from Real. Last season, the Brazilian international came out on top against the England defender in a quarter-final draw and he came out on top again on Saturday, scoring the winning goal.
Alexander-Arnold’s defensive shortcomings are the main reason he is no longer Gareth Southgate’s first right-back in England, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp remains fiercely loyal to his player for his attacking qualities. Only Salah has given more assists in the Premier League this season than Alexander-Arnold and his athleticism on the right makes him a formidable opponent for most of the teams he faces. But when faced with a pace and Vinicius’ ability to finish, Alexander-Arnold’s determination to move forward could become a major weakness.
At the Stade de France, the two players fought well in order to change the game. When Federico Valverde passed into the penalty area, he found Vinicius uncovered on the far post. And he was not scored because Alexander-Arnold lost his man at the crucial moment, allowing the 21-year-old to find a place to center and score Alison.
Alexander-Arnold lost Vinicius again a few minutes later, leaving him free in the middle of the line, but in this case the Real player did not take advantage. In the big moment, however, Vinicius did.
3. Liverpool’s “four” conversation ends with a whimper
Just two weeks ago, Liverpool were on track to make history by winning an unprecedented four silver medals in the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Now the four have finished with an internal double, as Klopp’s team failed in the big two competitions.
The dramatic late battle of Manchester City against Aston Villa last Sunday, when they overcame a 2-0 deficit in the last 15 minutes and won 3-2, denied Liverpool the title on the last day of the league season. And the result on Saturday left Liverpool without their seventh European Cup. So how can we judge a season that promised so much but ended in disappointment?
Any team that wins two big trophies would usually be happy with their draw, but going so close to the biggest races but finishing empty-handed ensures that Anfield’s disappointment is inevitable. However, it was a great achievement to get so close to what no other club has been able to achieve. When Manchester United won the triple award in 1999, it seemed to be the highest watermark, but Liverpool came within two games of winning.
They missed this time, but as Liverpool and City get stronger each season, it seems only a matter of time before one of them makes the quadruple.
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