Real Madrid players celebrate with the Champions League trophy in Milan on Saturday. Real won 5-3 on penalties after the match was locked 1-1 in regulation and extra time. (Photo: AP)
Real Madrid players celebrate with the Champions League trophy in Milan on Saturday. Real won 5-3 on penalties after the match was locked 1-1 in regulation and extra time. (Photo: AP)
Cristiano Ronaldo added the finishing touches as Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for an 11th time with a 5-3 penalties victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday.
Two years after reviving Real’s bid for a 10th title, captain Sergio Ramos struck the opener after just 15 minutes at a packed San Siro.
But the match was pushed into extra time when Yannick Carrasco came off the bench to level on 79 minutes — the Belgian rushing towards the touchlines to kiss his partner in celebration.
After two scoreless periods of extra time the match went to penalties, and when defender Juanfran’s effort blasted off the bottom of Keylor Navas’s upright Ronaldo stepped up to secure the trophy for the second time in three years. In 2014, Atletico lost 1-4 in extra time after Ramos headed a late leveller at the death.
Real, inaugural winners of the competition in 1956, claimed their 10th title two years ago in Lisbon when a late Ramos leveller pushed the match into extra-time.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone had pledged his side, two-time Europa League winners in 2010 and 2012, would end their wait to finally win Europe’s premier competition.
But it took only six minutes for Real to start knocking on the door when Jan Oblak had to produce a point-blank save from Karim Benzema after Gareth Bale’s back-header.
Ronaldo, Real’s penalty hero, said: “Penalties are always a lottery, you never know what’s going to happen.
“But we showed that our team had more experience and we showed that we scored all penalties — it was unbelievable, a fantastic night,” the Portuguese superstar added.
