PARIS - Real Madrid may not leave the capital of France with Killian Mbape in their luggage, but they are carrying the 14th UEFA Champions League trophy after the 1-0 victory over Liverpool at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the match per hour, but the spectacle in Saint-Denis was unfortunately disturbed by chaotic scenes fans who could not get to the place in time to start, and the Reds are already asking questions.
As the final passed, it was far from beautiful and the atmosphere further subsided when it became clear that big problems were happening in and around the stadium, and the opportunistic Real came first thanks to Thibaut Courtois’ master class between sticks.
Karim Benzema had a shot canceled in the first half due to offside after a VAR check, but Vinicius ‘attempt with an assist by Federico Valverde just an hour ago was Los Blancos’ only shot on goal in 90 minutes, as the Spanish giants somehow kept Liverpool at bay.
Jürgen Klopp’s men did a lot with an almost double-digit effect on the target, but they found Courtois in an inspired form and the Belgian international once again showed his value for Carlo Ancelotti’s team while earning his UCL crown.
“Back in England, I don’t have enough respect,” Courtois said after the last whistle. “Well, well, I showed it today. I wanted to show a little respect for my name there.”
Kurtois’ nine saves that night were the most recorded since 2003-04 by any goalkeeper in a single Champions League final, according to Opti. Liverpool won the kg battle with a score of 2.14 to 0.88, but was left empty-handed due to Kurtois’ heroism.
It remains to be seen whether Real’s long-term approach is valid or not, given their old team and inability to truly dominate opponents, but their failure to accept Mbape means that any planned summer reconstruction will have to be reconsidered.
Based on this performance, the French superstar would not simply turn the LaLiga champions into a superior team, given Liverpool’s impressive mastery in almost everything except their ending - in the end, they did not need the contribution of Benzema’s top scorer.
However, this fits in with the inevitable feeling for some time now that Real have been destined to win this match given their ability to dig themselves out of the hole either through their French striker or Courtois’s incredible goal-scoring game.
The race in which Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City fell is as impressive as it comes, and Ancelotti masterfully led his team through that minefield with the key contributions of star names and an honest piece of luck.
What follows for Real can be guessed, but it is hard to imagine that there is much more mileage in this current crop despite Benzema’s ability to transform into an elite athlete in the last phase of his career and the lasting brilliance of Luka Modric.
Once that winning formula finally disappears forever, then you can argue that maybe it’s the right time for Mbape to finally move to the Santiago Bernabeu - assuming the Spaniards get over his recent rejection.
Until then, however, Angelotti is squeezing every drop of success from this group, and even if it is not reduced to collective brilliance, individual performances of the highest quality have enabled them to achieve such results.
What is beyond any doubt, however, is the pedigree of Real from the Champions League, because they additionally underlined their complete mastery of the biggest award in European football with an unprecedented 14th title and four of the last seven.