Gareth Bale
helped Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup as they finally overwhelmed
arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in a compelling Champions League final in Lisbon.
The emphatic
scoreline after extra time does no justice to the drama that unfolded at
Estadio da Luz as Atletico stood moments from winning the trophy for the first
time only to end exhausted and well beaten.
Diego Godin
capitalised on an error from Real's veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas to give
Diego Simeone's newly crowned La Liga champions a first-half lead, one they
protected with fierce intensity until 90 seconds from the end of five minutes
of stoppage time when Sergio Ramos headed in Luka Modric's corner.
Atletico
wilted visibly after that, and Real ruthlessly completed the job of becoming
the first club to claim the trophy 10 times, an achievement known as "La
Decima" (the 10th).
Bale, who
had wasted earlier chances, headed in from an acute angle after goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois blocked Angel Di Maria's shot with 11 minutes left. This was
effectively the match-winning moment.
Man of the
Match
The Welshman
kept going despite not being at his best and this was the sort of contribution
that he and Real had in mind when he made his £86m move from Tottenham last
summer.
Substitute
Marcelo added a third with a shot Courtois should have saved before Cristiano
Ronaldo salvaged something from a disappointing personal performance, scoring
his 17th goal of this Champions League campaign from the penalty spot after he
was fouled by Gabi.
It was all
too much for the combustible Simeone, the game ending amid chaotic scenes when
he raced on to the pitch to confront Real's Raphael Varane.
In contrast,
the calm figure of Real coach Carlo Ancelotti was able to enjoy his own place
in history alongside Bob Paisley, joining the former Liverpool manager as the
only men to win the trophy three times as a coach having previously secured the
crown twice with AC Milan, and twice as a player.
Real
ultimately deserved the victory for their greater attacking intent but Atletico
came so close to delivering another spectacular affirmation of their progress
under Simeone.
The fitness
of striker Diego Costa was a central topic of debate in the build-up, with the
Spanish striker using horse placenta as part of his treatment for the hamstring
injury he suffered when Atletico clinched La Liga for the first time in 18
years with a draw at Barcelona.
It was only
nine minutes before the answer was delivered as a clearly unfit Costa signalled
to the bench that he could not continue and was replaced by Adrian Lopez.
Ancelotti
gambled on the fitness of Sami Khedira as a starter even though the German
midfielder had only played an hour in six months after a knee ligament injury.
He had
little chance to make an impact as the intensity of Atletico's approach - which
also carried the occasional over-physical edge - offered no time and space for
their creative players.
Real's best
chance in the first half fell to Bale after 32 minutes when he was carelessly
presented with the ball by Tiago but, after showing typical pace to surge into
the area, he placed his shot inches wide.
Atletico
took advantage and went ahead four minutes later, the responsibility for the
goal lying predominantly with veteran Real and Spain goalkeeper Casillas.
He was
indecisive as he rushed out recklessly to claim Juanfran's header back into the
box, allowing Godin to nudge the ball over him as he desperately tried to
recover his ground.
Ronaldo, who
had also been an injury doubt with a hamstring problem, had been marginalised
but finally got in on the action early in the second half with a free-kick that
was turned away by Courtois.
He was then
only inches away from getting his head on a cross from Ramos as Real looked to
their talisman to haul them back into contention.
Ancelotti
made his move with a double change just before the hour, sending on Marcelo for
Fabio Coentrao and Isco for Khedira.
Bale had
opportunities to bring Real back into the game but he was off target from the
edge of the area and was wide again with an angled finish when his pace took
him into the area.
Atletico's
defending was becoming increasingly desperate but they showed great resilience,
only to be denied deep into stoppage time as Ramos rose magnificently to direct
Modric's corner past Courtois.
During the
break before the restart, Atletico's drained and disappointed players were
stretching out on blue mats laid out on the turf while the revived Real side
gathered in a huddle to galvanise themselves once more.
It was a
clear indication of how the momentum had shifted so significantly and those
three goals in the second period of added time wrote another chapter in the
history of this tournament's most successful club.
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