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Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 to win the UEFA Champions League, the 14th European title for the Spanish club. Here are main talking points from the end of the match.
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1. Courtois the key to Carlo’s 4th crown
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti rewrote the Champions League history books as Vinicius Junior’s second-half goal clinched a 1-0 win against Liverpool in Paris to secure a record 14th success for Real and make Ancelotti the first coach to win four European Cups.
But while Vinicius’ goal was the decisive moment, Real owed their victory to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who made a succession of crucial saves throughout the game. The former Chelsea keeper kept out efforts from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during the early stages, pushing a Mane shot onto the post as Liverpool attempted to capitalise on a bright start to the game. Courtois continued his heroic performance in the second-half, before and after his team’s breakthrough goal, to seal a compelling case for the man of the match award.
By winning this game, Real avenged their 1981 European Cup final defeat against Liverpool in the French capital and also stretched their incredible winning record in the competition. Real’s 14 European Cups/Champions League is now twice as many as AC Milan, who stand second in the rankings with seven titles. Liverpool remain on six having last won the competition in 2019. And Ancelotti now moves ahead of Liverpool’s Bob Paisley and Real’s Zinedine Zidane as the most successful coach by winning it a fourth time. The Italian won two with AC Milan, on 2003 and 2007, before adding another two with Real in 2014 and now 2022.
2. Vinicus exposes Alexander-Arnold’s shortcomings
The…
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Source : espn
