Real fight back to triumph on another glory night

Monday, 26 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Real Madrid came back from the dead to write another glorious chapter in their history when they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 in extra time helped by goals from Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to win a 10th European Cup on Saturday. With Atletico poised to win the trophy for the first time after going ahead with a first-half Diego Godin header, Real struck back after relentless pressure with a Sergio Ramos header in the third minute of added time from a Luka Modric corner. That sent the final into extra time and with a tiring Atletico almost out for the count after taking a battering for most of the second half, Real scored three times in the last 10 minutes.

World record signing Bale headed them in front after 110 minutes, Marcelo made it 3-1 following a solo run eight minutes later before Ronaldo, the Portugal captain playing in his capital city, converted a penalty with almost the last kick. The goal was Ronaldo’s 17th of the Champions League campaign, a record for one season, and he became the first player in the competition’s 59-year history to score for two different winning sides in open play in the final, having scored for Manchester United when they won the 2008 European Cup. The victory also meant Carlo Ancelotti became only the second coach to win the European Cup three times after Bob Paisley’s Liverpool triumphs in 1977, 1978 and 1981. Italian Ancelotti also won the trophy twice as a player with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, while Real became the first team to score four goals in the final since Milan’s 4-0 win over Barcelona in 1994. A header from Bale 20 minutes into extra time turned the match a month after the Welshman scored the winner with a stunning solo goal in a 2-1 King’s Cup triumph over Barcelona. His latest goal repaid a further chunk of the 100 million euros ($136.31 million) Real paid Tottenham Hotspur to secure his signature last August and all but killed off any hope the flagging Atletico players had of winning the match. Following their triumphs of 1998, 2000 and 2002, Real became the first team to lift the trophy four times since the Champions League was reformatted in 1992. It was a hard-won victory for Real but in the end they deserved it.

Ronaldo first to score for two different European Cup winners

Reuters: Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in the 59-year history of the European Cup to score for two different winning teams when he netted Real Madrid’s fourth goal in their 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday. The 29-year-old Portugal captain also scored for Manchester United when they won the Champions League in 2008 in Moscow and capped an astonishing season with his 17th Champions League goal of this campaign at the Stadium of Light. His penalty conversion contrasted with his miss in the final shootout against Chelsea six years ago. Ronaldo had already broken the European Cup record of 14 goals in a season established by Jose Altafini of AC Milan 51 years ago and by his rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona in 2011-12 and has now set a new benchmark in the competition. Ronaldo, the FIFA World Player of the Year, has scored 52 goals in 51 Champions League games for Real and, together with his goals at United, has 67 in the European Cup in total. That ties him in second place with Messi, while both players are four goals behind Raul who tops the all-time list with 71.