Real Madrid handed Atletico Madrid another
cruel Champions League Final defeat when Cristiano Ronaldo spot kick saw them
beat their neighbors on penalties to win Europe top club trophy for a record 11th
time.
The match ended 1-1 after extra
time as Atletico, giving their usual never say die performance, conceded an early
goal, missed a penalty, clung on by the skin of their teeth and then found the
strength to equalize at the San Siro. But it was all in vain as Juanfran struck
their fourth penalty against the post, allowing a previously subdued Ronaldo to
stride up and coolly blast home the decisive penalty for a 5-3 shootout win his
third European cup success.
Real former playmaker Zinedine
Zidane was left to celebrate winning Europe elite club competition five months
after starting his first coaching job and become the seventh man to claim the
trophy both as a player and a manager. But it was another demoralizing end for
Diego Simeone Atletico who was within a minute of winning the 1974 European Cup
Final and 2014 Champions League finals but conceded equalizers and eventually
lost them both.
The latter was also against Real
Madrid when Sergio Ramos scored in stoppage time to set his side up for a 4-1
extra-time win. This time, Ramos gave Real a 15th minute lead but
after Antoine missed a penalty for Atletico at the start of the second half,
the Mattress makers hit back with a superbly taken equalizer by substitute
Carrasco. Cristiano Ronaldo has finished as the UEFA Champions League top
marksman for the fourth season running, notching 16 goals and the Portuguese
star is closing in on a century in Europe premier club competition.
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