Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 in a superb Champions League final full of attacking verve and brilliant goals on Saturday as the Spaniards won the title for the third time in four years and 12th in all.
Ronaldo swept in a neat opener after 20 minutes but Mario Mandzukic hit a deserved equaliser for the Italian champions with a spectacular effort seven minutes later.
Real, however, took command in the second half and a long-range deflected effort by Casemiro after 60 minutes, a neat finish by the irrepressible Ronaldo and an 89th minute tap-in for substitute Marco Asensio settled one of the most entertaining finals of recent years.
It was Real’s 12th title in their 15th final as they became the first team to successfully defend it in the Champions League era. AC Milan were the last team to retain Europe’s top prize when they won in 1989 and 1990.
It was heartbreak again for Juventus, however, who were seeking a treble after winning the Italian league and cup. They came away as losers for the seventh time in nine finals having also lost to Barcelona in 2015.
Juve conceded more goals on Saturday than the three they had in the 12 games they played to reach the final as a much-vaunted Real attack v Juve defence scenario went emphatically Madrid's way.
It did not look that way initially as Juventus were full of attacking intent in the opening exchanges.
Real gradually settled, however, and scored with their first chance after a trigonometric build-up. Ronaldo was at the heart of it, playing the ball into the path of Dani Carvajal who cut it straight back to allow the Portuguese forward to sweep the ball sweetly into the far corner.
That made him the second man to score in three finals, after Alfredo Di Stefano, who scored in five in a row for Real in the 1950s, but he was far from done on the night.
GREAT GOAL
That effort was eclipsed seven minutes later by one of the all-time great final goals.
Juve centre back Leonardo Bonucci drove a long diagonal ball towards the byline to set off a brilliantly skilful exchange.
Alex Sandro reached it and cushioned the ball back across the box. Gonzalo Higuain knocked it back to Mandzukic who took a touch on his chest and leaped, with his back to goal, to connect with a stunning bicycle kick that looped over Keylor Navas.
The Juventus fans in the 72,000 crowd erupted, ramping up the atmosphere that was already crackling under the closed stadium roof.
It was a different story after the break, however, and Real's dominance settled the match with two goals in four minutes.
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro made it 2-1 when his 30-yard shot took a deflection that wrong-footed Buffon and Ronaldo, the man who loves the big occasion, expertly swept in the third at the near post after a great run and cross by Luka Modric.
The goals knocked the stuffing out of Juventus, who ended with 10 men after Juan Cuadrado was sent off in the 84th minute – 18 minutes after coming on as a substitute – following a second booking for the mildest of pushes on Sergio Ramos.
Ramos's theatrics were an unedifying moment in a generally uplifting final and fittingly it ended on a positive note when Marcelo charged to the byline and crossed for Asensio to tuck home the fourth.
Reuters
Sat Jun 03 2017
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after winning the UEFA Champions League Final. - REUTERS / Carl Recine
Bapa ditahan dera anak usia 2 tahun
Seorang lelaki diberkas dipercayai mendera anak perempuannya yang berumur dua tahun dalam kejadian di sebuah rumah dekat Taman Pinggiran Cheras.
Kes demam denggi menurun pada ME17, tiada kematian - KP Kesihatan
Orang awam dinasihati supaya mengelak daripada berada di luar rumah pada waktu puncak gigitan nyamuk aedes.
KPM sedar sistem pendidikan berdepan krisis
Semua pihak termasuk Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia sedar bahawa sistem Pendidikan negara sedang berdepan dengan krisis.
Lebih 500,000 pelajar Sabah nikmati manfaat pembaikan sekolah daif
Seramai 514,070 murid dan pelajar di Sabah menikmati prasarana sekolah lebih baik hasil usaha berterusan kerajaan Persekutuan menerusi Kementerian Pendidikan dalam menaik taraf sekolah daif serta kerja-kerja penyelenggaraan bangunan sekolah di negeri itu
AWANI Ringkas: Mahkamah tolak permohonan Guan Eng, isteri dan ahli perniagaan
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
[TERKINI] Mahkamah Tinggi tolak permohonan Lim Guan Eng ,isteri dan Phang Li Koon
Mahkamah Tinggi Pulau Pinang menolak permohonan bekas Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng, isterinya Betty Chew Gek Cheng dan ahli perniagaan Phang Li Koon untuk membatalkan pertuduhan rasuah berkaitan projek asrama pekerja asing bernilai RM11.6 juta.
Keputusan itu dibuat oleh Pesuruhjaya Kehakiman Mahkamah Tinggi Pulau Pinang, Rofiah Mohamad pada pagi Jumaat.
Keputusan itu dibuat oleh Pesuruhjaya Kehakiman Mahkamah Tinggi Pulau Pinang, Rofiah Mohamad pada pagi Jumaat.
Harga jersi Liverpool naik melambung, Nike berdepan kecaman netizen
Nike telah dipersalahkan atas kenaikan harga jersi baharu Liverpool berikutan pelancarannya semalam.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Isu hutang calon PN, pimpinan Bersatu diberi penjelasan
Pimpinan Bersatu sudah mendapatkan penjelasan daripada Khairul Azhari Saut berkaitan isu hutang.
Tulang kambing terlekat pada jari kanak-kanak
Kejadian itu dipercayai berlaku ketika mangsa yang berusia lapan tahun sedang menikmati juadah kambing perap.
'Hentikan boikot KK Mart' - Mufti Perak
Katanya tindakan boikot itu sebenarnya bertentangan dengan sunnah Rasulallah SAW.
Liga Juara-Juara: Dua gol Messi bantu Barcelona benam Liverpool
Beraksi di Nou Camp, persembahan cemerlang Messi itu turut membantu penyerang dari Argentina itu mencatatkan gol peribadi ke 600 buat pasukan Catalan itu.
United masih jauh ketinggalan - Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mencadangkan masa diperlukan Manchester United untuk mencapai tahap yang sama seperti Barcelona selepas tersingkir daripada Liga Juara-Juara, awal pagi tadi.
Liga Juara-Juara Eropah & Liga Europa: Astro bekerjasama dengan beIN
Astro melanjutkan kerjasama dengan beIN Asia Pacific untuk menyiarkan Liga Juara-Juara Eropah & Liga Europa sehingga musim 2020/21.
Dekat mana boleh tonton siaran UEFA Champions League?
Jadual penuh siaran langsung perlawanan UEFA Champions League di Astro.
Ronaldo tinggalkan Madrid buat Rakitic ceria
Langkah Cristiano Ronaldo meninggalkan Real Madrid akan menjadikan pemain tengah Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic, bahagia.
Zidane nafi tinggalkan Real Madrid demi Les Bleus
Zinedine Zidane menegaskan dia tidak meninggalkan Real Madrid hanya kerana ingin mengambil alih skuad Perancis.
John Terry tinggalkan Aston Villa
John Terry akan meninggalkan Aston Villa selepas hanya beraksi satu musim selepas mereka gagal melayakkan diri ke Liga Perdana Inggeris dari Liga Kejuaraan.
Petisyen hukum Sergio Ramos cecah 279,000 tandatangan
Satu petisyen diwujudkan bagi menghukum Ramos yang dikatakan sengaja mencederakan Mohamad Salah.
Super Bale sinks Liverpool as Madrid make it three in a row
A sensational overhead goal from Real Madrid substitute Gareth Bale and two calamitous errors by Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius gave the Spanish side a third straight Champions League crown.
#FinalUCL: Tiada laluan mudah buat Liverpool atau Real Madrid
Penyokong Liverpool & Real Madrid berdebar menanti final Liga Juara-Juara Eropah (UCL).