Kiev [Ukraine]: The Champions League Final was deemed as a ‘Ronaldo – Salah’ faceoff by the experts of the beautiful game. But it was certainly not a good day for either of the two giants. For Mohd. Salah, it was rather heartbreaking. The “Dark Horse” Gareth Bale slammed two outstanding goals to ensure Real victory and probably his future at the club.
Liverpool’s remarkable Champions League run ended here on Saturday as Real Madrid won the final 3-1 to claim their third successive and 13th Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) title at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex.
Liverpool were rocked early on by a devastating injury to Mohammad Salah, which could also leave the Egyptian’s World Cup hopes in doubt.
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Salah got tangled up with Madrid’s defender Sergio Ramos and the result was a heavy landing on the point of his left shoulder.
The final, however, was a nightmare for Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.
He was at fault for Madrid’s first goal, when he threw the ball directly onto the foot of Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who redirected it in, and also for the third, in the 83rd minute, when he allowed a knuckling long-distance shot by Gareth Bale to slip through.
It is interesting to note that Bale was controversially benched by Zinedine Zidane, and was introduced into the game in the 61st minute, when the scores were leveled at 1-1.
The victory was Madrid’s third in a row in the tournament, a feat unseen in the competition since Bayern Munich won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 – 1976.