Real Madrid finally found La Decima, beating rival Atletico Madrid 4-1 in extra time in a thrilling comeback in Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
It has been 12 years since Los Blancos have lifted Europe’s ultimate prize.
The game didn’t provide as much action as anticipated. Both teams came out timid and didn’t come across many chances. Gareth Bale had the first real chance of the match, breaking through the defense firing his shot wide with his left foot.
Los Colchoneros opened the scoring after goalkeeper Iker Casillas misjudged a header into the box, resulting in a scrappy Diego Godin Goal. Thanks to fansided.com for providing the GIF.
The next 40 minutes were uneventful. Real Madrid failed to break through a stout Atletico defense. Gareth Bale had a couple more chances, but his refusal to use his right foot cost him, firing all his attempts wide. As tension began to rise for the Los Merengues, the pressure increased. Then, three minutes into stoppage time, the Spanish international Sergio Ramos found the equalizer.
As the game moved to extra time, it seemed almost inevitable that Real Madrid would find the winner. They held possession and refused to let Atletico create anything. Sure enough, in the 110th minute, Real Madrid found their mark when they got "Baled" out. The €100 man inched Los Blancos closer to La Decima.
After that, it was all over. Atletico Madrid could not get their offense going again and, whenever they had possession, were dispossessed by a determined Real Madrid. Then Marcelo sealed the deal in the 118th.
It was a great season for Atletico. Diego Simeone has created something truly special for Los Colchoneros. A La Liga title shouldn’t be forgotten after this Champions League result. On the other side, Real Madrid finally found La Decima after a disappointing third place finish in La Liga. Cristiano Ronaldo added a fourth to Los Blancos total on a penalty kick in the 120th minute, bringing his Champions League total to a whopping 17 goals.
It was a drama-filled Champions League season and we here at The18 are already counting down until the final in Berlin next year on June 6th. For the record, that's 378 days.