Real Madrid is the winner of the UEFA Champions League football tournament for 2022, having defeated Liverpool at the Stade de France in Paris with 1-0.
The Spanish football club will be taking home its 14th Champion League title—extending its record for the most UEFA Champions’ League wins.
Vinícius Júnior scored the winning goal 59 minutes into the game.
The Brazilian international, aged twenty-one, became Real Madrid’s second-youngest scorer in a Champions League final behind Asensio, who was 187 days younger than Vinícius Júnior when he netted in the 2017 showpiece.
Real’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, earned himself the Playstation Player of the Match award for his nine dramatic saves, another Champions League final record.
“He made crucial saves at critical moments during the first half when Liverpool were on top [and also] made an extraordinary save to deny Salah late on,” the UEFA Technical Observer panel commented.
In addition, Carlo Ancelotti has become the first coach to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for a fourth time.
“I cannot believe I’ve won four Champions Leagues!” he said.
“It was a difficult game, we suffered in the first half but in the end with all the games we played I think we deserved to win this competition. We are really happy with the end of a wonderful season,” Ancelotti said.
“The game plan worked well, and Courtois helped cap a fantastic season for himself personally,” added Ancelotti. “It’s a fantastic club and squad with a lot of quality and strong mental character.”
The two teams’ long history in Champions League finals
Liverpool and Real Madrid have met in a Champions League final twice before, and each has a victory.
Liverpool, which won the Carabao Cup and the F.A. Cup this year, lost the Champions League final twice in five years both times against Real Madrid. It has won the title six times in its history, however.
“The problem is, when you play against Real Madrid and they play that deep, their counterattacking threat is immense,” said Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp.
“I saw us doing a lot of good things,” said Klopp, “but it was not enough. We accept that. They scored a goal and we didn’t—that’s the easiest explanation in the world of football. It’s harsh, but we respect that, of course.”
Liverpool’s Greek player, Kostas Tsimikas, who became the penalty hero of the club’s FA Cup triumph over Chelsea earlier in May did not play in today’s game.
Chaos with crowds outside stadium
The French police force was criticized for the chaos and violence against supporters who waited lengthy in lengthy lines to get into Stade de France.
According to a statement by UEFA, in the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who had purchased counterfeit tickets which did not work.
“The kick off of the game was delayed by 35 minutes to allow as many fans as possible with genuine tickets to gain access,” it added.
As numbers outside the stadium continued to build up after kick off, police dispersed the crowd using tear gas and people were forced away from the stadium.
The match between the two legendary football clubs eventually opened with a spectacular performance by Cuban-American artist Camila Cabello.
The 2022 UEFA Champions League final was initially planned to be held at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UEFA decided to change the host venue to Stade de France.
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