Unic Press UK: Real Madrid FC won the 2017/18 Champions League, thumping Liverpool FC 3-1 in the final played today, 26 May 2018, in the magnificent 70,000+ capacity NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.
NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, the venue of the 2017/18 Champions League final, 26 May 2018
With today’s trophy, Real Madrid joined the league of teams’ that have won a European football trophy in three successive seasons 2016, 2017 and 2018, following Bayern Munich’s 1974, 1975 and 1976 and Ajax 1971, 1972 and 1973.
Real Madrid’s first goal was in the 51′ of play by Karen Benzema, who intercepted the ball when Liverpool’s keeper tried to pass it on to one of his team mates.
In the 55′, Sadio Mané scored Liverpool’s only goal in the final.
The second goal by Real Madrid was a spectacular overhead kick by Gareth Bale in the 64′ – arguably the best goal in a Champions League final in the last decade or more- coming barely two minutes after the Welsh man came on as a substitute. Bale added another goal in the 83′, from 40 yards. Bale has been named “man of the match” in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League final.
With today’s win, the Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is now the first football coach to win the Champions League in three consecutive seasons.
About UEFA Champions League
“Football’s premier club competition, the European Champion Clubs’ Cup was launched soon after UEFA’s first Congress, held in Vienna on 2 March 1955, yet the competition was not a UEFA initiative.
“Whereas many of UEFA’s founder members were more interested in establishing a national team competition, the French sports daily L’Equipe and its then-editor Gabriel Hanot were championing the cause for a Europe-wide club competition. Hanot, together with colleague Jacques Ferran, designed a blueprint for a challenge tournament to be played on Wednesdays under floodlights. The tournament initiated by L’Equipe did not stipulate that the participating teams had to be champions of their country, but they invited clubs who they considered had the most fan appeal.
“UEFA – which had been founded in June 1954 – reacted by contacting the world body FIFA, and the latter’s Executive Committee, meeting in London on 8 May 1955, authorised the new club competition under the condition that it was organised by UEFA and that the national associations concerned gave their consent to their clubs taking part. UEFA’s Executive Committee accepted the conditions laid down by FIFA and agreed to run the competition at its meeting on 21 June 1955.” (UEFA)
