Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro pull Real Madrid two ahead in Champions League final

Casemiro scored off a deflection to pull Real Madrid ahead in the Champions League final, but Cristiano Ronaldo may have put the nail in the coffin.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck first in the 2017 Champions League final. After a fantastic buildup, he put his Real Madrid side ahead of Juventus. However, a brilliant effort from Mario Mandzukic brought things level in the final. That’s the way the scoreline stood at halftime and through the first 15 minutes of the second half.

For the second half to not bring a goal early was a bit of a surprise. Whereas a wide-open style of play kept the game level in the first 45 minutes, the control was all Madrid’s at the start of the second 45. Yet they hadn’t found the back of the net just yet.

That all changed in the 62nd minute. The La Liga champs played it in from the left side and Toni Kroos tried to have a go. However, his effort was deflected out of the box to roughly 30 yards out. That’s where Casemiro ran onto the ball and had a rip. Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon seemed unconcerned — but was caught flat-footed when the ball took a deflection. He was too late as it found the net to pull Madrid up 2-1.

Ever the kings of momentum — or sharks smelling blood in the water — Madrid didn’t stop there. Just two minutes later, they went on the attack again. Luka Modric speeding down the right side caught the ball and crossed it perfectly. Even more pristine, though, was the run of Ronaldo right in front of net into space. At full sprint, he got his foot on the cross and lifted it over the hand of Buffon.

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Even at the time, Ronaldo’s second goal of the Champions League final seemed to the be the end of the line for Juve. And as the rest of the second half played out, that only seemed to be more so the case. If you had to pick one guy who’d drive a nail in the coffin, though, it’d most certainly be him.