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| Real Madrid - 2017 Champions League Winners |
Cristiano Ronaldo scored
twice as Real Madrid crushed Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff on Saturday to become the
first team to retain the European Cup in the Champions League era.
AFP
report continues:
The
Portugal superstar's opener was cancelled out by an astonishing Mario Mandzukic
strike, but goals from Casemiro, Ronaldo and Marco Asensio secured Madrid's
third Champions League triumph in four years and 12th in total.
Now
a four-time Champions League winner, Ronaldo finished as the competition's top
scorer for the fifth season running, substantially enhancing his chances of
matching eternal rival Lionel Messi's tally of five Ballons d'Or.
Zinedine
Zidane, a head coach for only 17 months, became the first manager to oversee
back-to-back European Cup successes since Arrigo Sacchi's fabled AC Milan team
won the tournament in 1989 and 1990.
It
crowns a glorious season for Madrid, who have pulled off a La Liga and European
Cup double for the first time since 1958, having also won the Club World Cup
and European Super Cup.
Zidane's
triumph was his former club Juve's misery, Massimiliano Allegri's side crashing
to a fifth successive defeat in Champions League finals and seventh in total,
extending their own desperately unwanted record.
The
first Champions League final to be played beneath a closed roof saw Juve hit
their heads against a familiar ceiling as they missed out on a chance to
complete the first Treble in their history.
The
Italian champions also had substitute Juan Cuadrado sent off after he was shown
a second yellow card for a gentle push on Sergio Ramos that drew a comical
overreaction from the Madrid skipper.
Kick-off
at the Principality Stadium was delayed by two minutes due to an elaborate
pre-match ceremony involving American pop act the Black Eyed Peas and when play
got under way, Juve settled first.
Gonzalo
Higuain worked Keylor Navas twice, while Miralem Pjanic's snappy half-volley
forced the Madrid goalkeeper to produce a smart one-handed save.
Madrid
drew first blood in the 20th minute when Ronaldo flicked the ball wide to Dani
Carvajal before artfully sweeping the Spaniard's return pass into the
bottom-left corner via a nick off Leonardo Bonucci.
Mandzukic masterpiece
It
was a fine strike, and it made Ronaldo the first player to have scored in three
finals in the Champions League era, but it was cancelled out by Mandzukic's
masterpiece, one of the great European Cup final goals.
Bonucci's
flighted pass from deep was volleyed into the box by Alex Sandro and Higuain
chested the ball down before teeing it up for Mandzukic.
The
Croatian forward took a touch with his chest and then, as he fell, hooked a
sublime volley over Navas's despairing dive and beneath the crossbar.
After
the break it was Zidane's men who set the tempo.
Luka
Modric had a 25-yard effort caught by Gianluigi Buffon and Marcelo narrowly
failed to pick out Ronaldo with a cross from the left before Casemiro put
Madrid ahead in the 61st minute.
A
loose ball broke to him on the edge of the box and the Brazilian midfielder
unleashed a right-foot shot that flicked off the heels of Madrid old boy Sami
Khedira before spinning past the helpless Buffon.
Three
minutes later it was game over as Ronaldo netted his 12th goal in the
tournament, moving a goal clear of Messi.
Modric
sped to the byline on the right and crossed and Ronaldo darted ahead of Bonucci
at the near post to guide a shot past Buffon.
Cardiff
native Gareth Bale made an appearance as a late replacement for Karim Benzema,
having been out since April 23 with a calf injury.
Alex Sandro headed wide from a Dani Alves free-kick, but Juve's fire went out when Cuadrado was given his marching orders and substitute Asensio added to their grief with a late tap-in from Marcelo's cut-back.
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