Real Madrid started with the same lineup as the final against Juventus a year ago. On the other side, Liverpool's starting lineup was in the prediction of many people.
The first half of the match was divided into 2 parts: with and without Salah on the field. With Salah on the pitch for the first 30 minutes, Liverpool held the ball less, but his high-level pressing style put great pressure on Real Madrid's defense.
The English representative's finishing was superior to his opponent. Players with little experience in big matches like Alexander-Arnold also had a shot that required Keylor Navas to show his talent.
The turning point came in the 30th minute when Salah suffered a serious shoulder injury after a dispute with Sergio Ramos. Since then, Real Madrid have played more effectively.
Benzema brought the ball into Liverpool's goal in the 42nd minute. However, the referee raised the flag of of offside with Ronaldo's previous header. The first half ended with a score of 0-0.
The advantage in the second half leaning towards the "White Vultures" was not much of a surprise, but the way Real Madrid scored goals was the real highlight.
In a big match like this, there is no room for mistakes. However, goalkeeper Karius made a mistake that led to 2 goals for the home team. First, in the 51st minute, he easily neutralized Toni Kroos' cross but the ball hit Karim Benzema's foot. The opening goal belonged to the French striker.
No one can blame Karius for the goal conceded in the 63rd minute. Simply put, Gareth Bale had a great hook right in the first touch when coming on as a substitute.
However, the German goalkeeper had a bad plan to deal with Gareth Bale's second goal. After a long-range shot from a Welsh player, Karius could not catch the ball and let it go into the goal easily.
The remaining Liverpool players could not fix the goalkeeper's mistake. Sadio Mane's goal in the 56th minute was the only goal the Reds had.
The 3-1 victory brought them their third consecutive UEFA Champions League title and 13th in Real Madrid's history. Coach Zinedine Zidane has continuously achieved success in this tournament with the "White Vultures" for about 2.5 years. On the contrary, coach Jurgen Klopp is still quite unlucky with the finals.
Lineup: Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Navas; Carvajal (Nacho 37), Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco (Bale 61); Benzema (Asensio 89), Ronaldo.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius; Alexander-Arnold, lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner (Can 83), Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah (Lallana 30), Firmino, Mane.
