Atletico were unlucky again as Real Madrid beat Diego Simeone’s side in the UEFA Champion’s League final twice in three years to claim their eleventh Champions League title.
The UCL Final was a scrappy affair to say the least for most parts. The goal came early this time for Real Madrid who had to thank Sergio Ramos for his shuffling the ball in from a set piece flick on by Gareth Bale.
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Atletico had a chance to level it up as Fernando Torres won a penalty for his side right after half time which Antoine Griezmann ended up missing the spot kick.
Real Madrid chose to sit back and allow Atletico to break them down which seemed to be working like a charm till Yannick Ferreira Carrasco came on. His pace and trickery sent everyone scrambling. The goal came from a fine run of play which saw Juanfran deliver a peach for Carrasco to score.
The two teams then fought through to the end of extra time to find themselves shooting penalties.
Real Madrid:
Keylor Navas - 7/10
Keylor Navas did make a few saves but his crowning glory was the penalty where his mind games were enough to unsettle Antoine Griezmann.
Dani Carvajal – 6/10
Dani Carvajal seemed to be in total control of his side till injury forced him off. As he tearfully went off, so with him did some part of Real’s stability on that side of the pitch as his replacement seemed to be under all sorts of pressure.
Pepe – 5/10
Pepe, the less said the better. He nearly threw away the game by offering Atletico a way back in by handing them a penalty, mainly by being careless. Some of his antics on the pitch were great entertainment value at best.
Sergio Ramos – 6.5/10
Sergio Ramos loves a UCL final, except for when he was to defend. He scrapped the ball in after a Gareth Bale flick on from a Toni Kroos corner to make it two goals in his last two UCL final appearances. Ramos scored in the shootout as well.
Marcelo – 6/10
Marcelo had a quiet game by his standards and was left for dead by Juanfran for the equalizer. He slotted in his penalty coolly.
Casemiro – 7/10
Casemiro kept the shape in that Real Madrid midfield and often mopped up. His discipline was key to the shape Real kept while they soaked in the Atletico Madrid pressure with the Rojiblancos chasing the game.
Luka Modric – 6.5/10
For a better part of the game, Modric had a tidy game where he played the perfect foil from deep to Toni Kroos’ movement up and down. He did, however, fade as the game went into extra time.
Toni Kroos – 6.5/10
Toni Kroos was stellar for the Real midfield as he kept threatening when on the ball and was disciplined when off it. He was eventually taken off to make way for Isco.
Gareth Bale – 7/10
Gareth Bale seemed to be the true attacking threat for Real in this game as Cristiano Ronaldo blew hot and cold and Benzema didn’t seem like he had much to do. For most parts, he was frustrated by some excellent defending but his flick on for the goal was invaluable. He slotted in his penalty.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6/10
Cristiano didn’t really manage to put in a vintage performance on the night and for most parts seemed to be a completely forlorn figure on the night. Cristiano would probably not have remembered this game for much had he not scored the winning penalty in the shootout which handed them the trophy.
Karim Benzema – 6/10
Another player who seemed to have done little to impact the game but often was used in the buildup to some of Real’s attacking play. He was taken off late in the second half.
Substitutes
Isco – 6/10
Isco kept things neat after coming on for Toni Kroos and did offer an attacking threat for a while.
Lucas Vazquez – 5/10
Lucas Vazquez came on for Benzema late in the game and had some great movement to his credit. Scored his penalty.
Danilo – 6/10
After a bit of an unsure start, he seemed to be relatively at ease as the game wore on. He came on for an injured Dani Carvajal early in the second half .
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak– 7/10
Jan Oblak made an early save to keep it goalless. He made a string of saves to keep Real Madrid from making good on their early lead. His assured presence at the back was a good part of Atletico’s attempts at turning the game after conceding a scrappy opener he could not do much about.
Diego Godin – 7/10
Last minute tackles, clearances and interceptions. Godin was full of energy and was a huge part of Atletico’s defensive work. His partnership with Savic kept Atletico in the game for a long time before the equalizer.
Stefan Savic – 7/10
A surprise starter ahead of Jose Gimenez, Savic kept a calm head for most of the game and pitched in every time his partner Godin needed him to.
Juanfran – 8/10
Juanfran had the measure of Real’s left wing with Saul supporting him. Juanfran was superb going forward and put a peach of a ball in for Carrasco to score the equalizer having stretched Marcelo with his run. However, he missed the crucial penalty for his side in the shoot out.
Filipe Luis – 7/10
Felipe Luis was a strong presence as usual. So long as Dani Carvajal was on the field, Luis couldn’t really exploit any weaknesses on his side of the pitch. While Danilo played, Filipe Luis kept causing more and more trouble going forward.
Gabi– 8/10
The Atletico Madrid captain led by example all game having run relentlessly into tackles, started off the build up from deep in midfield and transmitting an energy that is so rare to the rest of his teammates. His penalty like the rest of his game, was magnificent.
Augusto Fernandez – 6/10
Augusto Fernandez didn’t do much wrong to be fair. He was neat and clever in the middle of the pitch but unlucky to have to pave way for Carrasco as Atletico chased the game.
Koke – 7/10
Koke was relentless with his energy and drive but saw his final pass lack any true incision for most of the game. It was however, important that he kept his energy up which he did.
Saul Niguez– 7/10
Saul Niguez kept doing what he does best. He approached the game with drive and vigour. However, his contribution in the defensive half of the pitch served more purpose than the attacking. He didn’t miss his penalty though.
Fernando Torres – 6/10
Fernando Torres was anonymous for most of the game but did well to win his side a penalty. He missed a half chance late in the game to hand Atletico the win but most of the other chances fell to his strike partner.
Antoine Griezmann– 5/10
Antoine Griezmann had, what many would call a howler. It’s such a shame that the 33 goal man had to have one in the UCL Final. Missing the penalty at a delicate stage summed up his night as he kept misfiring at key moments. He didn’t miss in the shootout though.
Substitutes:
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco – 8/10
His introduction at half time had due impact as his pace and drive caused enough mayhem for the Real defense across the time he was on the pitch. He was at the right place at the right time as Juanfran delivered the ball on a plate for him to score.
Lucas Hernandez – N/A
Lucas Hernandez came on in the 110th minute to replace an injured Filipe Luis.
Thomas Partey – N/A
Thomas Partey came on for Koke right at the end of the game.
