12th title "Real"

Madrid Real Madrid for the first time in the history of the modern Champions League defended the title of the owner of the main club trophy of Europe. Recall that since 1991, the Champions Cup has been transformed into the league, and it was in this format that no team has yet been able to win the tournament for two consecutive years. And, of course, it is symbolic and fair that such an achievement submitted to the most titled European club in the history of football.

The modern symbol of Real Madrid Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo became the first football player to score balls in three decisive matches of the tournament. Earlier, he scored in the Champions League final - 2007/08 as part of Manchester United, and then from the penalty - in the final of the Champions League - 2013/14 as part of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid was the first club in the history of the Champions League to win the tournament for two years in a row. In total, in the history of Real Madrid it turned out to be the 12th Supreme European Club Trophy.

On June 3, in the main city of Wales Cardiff at the Chic Stadium "Millennium", which contains 74,500 spectators, in the main match of the European club season, the fans saw a classic confrontation - Madrid Real Madrid in the Champions League final fought with the Turin Juventus. This match had many features and moments that made it unique.

Firstly, this was the first final of the main club tournament in Europe, which passed under the roof. The Millennium stadium has the ability to close the roof if necessary, and it was this measure that was accepted for security purposes.

The operation to ensure the safety of teams and fans, which is carried out from June 1 to 4, will become the largest in the history of Great Britain, and the decision to hold the match under the roof is associated with fears of a terrorist threat of air - for example, in the form of flying drones.

But the Juventus match with Real Madrid made, of course, not only that. The Royal Club approached the meeting in the rank of the current owner of the Champions Cup and was eager to confirm the title, especially since before in the history of the Champions League this was not there. From the moment the tournament was transformed into its current format, not a single team managed to win it twice in a row.

The Champions Cup has become a league since the 1991/92 season, and since then the current trophy owners have reached the finals several times, but each time they were inferior.

So, in 1995, the Italian “Milan” was a clear favorite of the match with the Dutch “Ajax”, but the only exact blow to the young striker Patrick Klyuvert deprived the “Rossoneri” of the title.

The next year, Ajax could repeat its last year’s achievement, but was stopped in a penal series by another club from Italy - Juventus. The "old Signora" itself reached the final in 1997, but was a beat of the German "Borussia" from Dortmund (1: 3), which included an experienced Karl-Khinz Reidle, and another goal was scored by the young and talented Lars Rickken, and however, and remaining until the end of his career in "presenting hopes."

Opponents approached the final as the winners of their national championships. Juventus managed to do this in a record sixth time in a row, Real Madrid won Spain for the first time in five seasons. At the same time, both clubs are symbolic of 33-fold owners of national championship titles, being the best teams in their countries in this indicator

The next time, the current Best Club of Europe played in the final only in 2009, but the English Manchester United could not confirm the title, won a year earlier in Moscow Luzhniki in a dramatic final against Chelsea. This time, Leo Messi and his Barcelona outplayed the team of Sir Alex Ferguson (2: 0) with Cristiano Ronaldo in all articles.

And now Madrid Real Madrid, who won two champions Cups over the past three seasons, played in the final again.

Real Madrid was a record holder for victories in the Champions Cup, winning this tournament 11 times, and in the last two finals he defeated his fellow countrymen from Atletico. This time, Real Madrid was the team of Diego Simeona earlier - at the stage of the semi -finals.

For Juventus, the final became the second in three years. In the season before last, the Turin men beat in the semifinals just Real Madrid, but in the decisive battle they were bits by another team from Spain - Barcelona (1: 3).

Massimilliano Allegri and his wards burned with the desire to win the third champion Cup in his history for his club. So far, "Juve" was the most unlucky team with the Apennin regarding the finals of this tournament.

Judge for yourself: Milan has seven cups with four defeats in decisive meetings. Inter took the trophy three times, losing two finals. But Juventus has only two victories with six defeats, and one of them “Old Signora” suffered just from Real Madrid - in 1998. Since then, “Real” has played in four finals and won everything, while “Juve” has a negative balance on the same segment - 0: 2!

Finding confrontations of the teams in official meetings occurred only in this tournament, and in them the situation is deceptively equal: for eight victories for each club with two draws. At the same time, the successes of Real Madrid for the most part remained in the distant past or did not bring him the final result. The Madrid passed the Turiners in the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup in 1962 on the way to the lined "Inter" final. Then, to identify the winner of the confrontation with "Juve", a replay in Paris was needed (0: 1, 1: 0, 3: 1). In 1986, the Royal Club stopped the Old Signor again, overcome it in the 1/8 finals in the penalty shootout.

The first success of Juventus fell on the quarterfinals in the 1995/96 season (0: 1, 2: 0), and then the Italian Grand eventually won his second champion Cup in history. The final of 1998 has already been said, and this is the last case when the Madrid came out with triumphs from the confrontation of these teams in the playoffs. In the semifinals of 2003 (1: 2, 3: 1), in the 1/8 finals 2005 (0: 1, 2: 0) and in the semifinal 2015 (2: 1, 1: 1) "Juve" every time in a dramatic struggle was stronger than its opponents.

In the history of the main club tournament, Europe will forever remain the tears of Pavel Nedveda, who received an extra yellow card and missed the fatal finale with Milan, a goal in the 116th minute in the execution of the Uruguis, Salaytes and the exploits of the pupil of the Royal Club, who became the main character of the confrontation with his own, native team in 2015.

There were two more meetings of clubs at the group stages of the Champions League, and in these confrontations, the rivals once came out the winners, and when Real Madrid champions in his quartet, Juventus could not go out into the playoffs, missing the Turkish Galatasaray there.

Now the rivals have come to the final as the winners of their national championships. Juventus managed to do this in a record sixth time in a row, Real Madrid won Spain for the first time in five seasons. At the same time, both clubs are symbolically 33-time owners of national champion titles, being the best teams in their countries in this indicator.

After the next damage, Welsh Gareth Bale recovered, for whom the Millennium match became doubly fundamental due to the fact that he passed at home. He, to the great joy of the local public, appeared on the field, having replaced.

But the main figure in Juventus was the 30-year-old goalkeeper Dzhanluji Buffon, who is already close to the completion of his sports career. It had the most outstanding titles, including the title of world champion, but the main club trophy of Europe did not submit it to him. For the 2017 playoffs, an unlucking goalkeeper missed only one goal. But in the final, Real Madrid scored him as many as 4, and after the match the buffon did not look particularly upset - the class of the game "Real" was clearly higher.

Never before the “Real” and “Juventus” have beaten each other in a big one, never more than four goals have never been scored in their matches, although they scored four for two repeatedly. Given that both teams are champions in spirit, the penalty series was expected here, but it did not reach it. In the first half, Juventus still opposed the rivals with dignity, scored the most beautiful goal with the efforts of the former Bavaria striker. But the break was tactically won by Zidan as an excessive. Then the invaluable practical experience of the great football player affected - and, most importantly, the greatest designer of the game. “Real” did not rebuild dramatically, but rather made point, stroke editing into his drawing: he slightly lengthened the offensive line, slightly out of the dangerous zones, a little more clearly selected key figures and slightly specified the logistics of the delivery of the ball to them. And in the second half, the game swayed significantly in favor of Real Madrid. Alas, to such a change in the opponent in the person and habits of Juventus, he was not adapted: not a single theoretical coach, no matter how much he was, is able to notice the problematic nuances and game inconsistencies so subtly and accurately, as a thoughtful and keen ex-football player.

Well, when the adjustments to the best players of the planet translate the adjustments to the football genius, not a single defense can resist this. The skill of the performers of Real Madrid was manifested in decisive episodes. Can it be otherwise if the football achievements of the past and the current decades are summarized in this formula of success - Zinedina Zidan and Cristiano Ronaldo ?

It remains only to say that more than a thousand fans of the Italian football club "Juventus" were injured during the final match. This was reported by the agency France Press .

Well, the club history of this season is completed. The next move is made by the teams - on June 17, the Confederations Cup begins. True, the match Russia - New Zealand will only be interesting as a formal start of a more or less iconic tournament. Alas, he can’t achieve football entertainment and beauty in the most sweet dreams ... But Cristiano Ronaldo will play in Portugal at the Portugal at the tournament!