Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus: Champions League final highlights and recap
Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 in the 2017 Champions League final on Saturday, June 3. Here are all the highlights from the match.
Real Madrid beat Juventus Saturday to become the first back-to-back Champions League winners in history. Zinedine Zidane’s side endured a patchy first half, before pulling away from Juve with a dominant second.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored hat-tricks in both the quarter and semifinals, was the hero again, scoring twice on the way to a 4-1 win.
Juve were the better side for much of the first half, however, with Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic both testing Keylor Navas in the opening 10 minutes.
When Ronaldo scored his first in the 20th minute, sliding in from a Dani Carvajal cutback, Real had hardly created a chance. The match was a relatively open contest, but the Italian side looked far more dangerous in attack.
As well as they were playing, it took a moment of miraculous individual brilliance from Mario Mandzukic to bring Juve back level. The Croatian controlled Higuain’s pass about 18 yards out, before completing a perfect overhead kick into the top right corner, just out of reach of Navas.
Real were significantly improved after the break, and pegged Juve into their own half for the first time all match. Casemiro gave them the lead in the 61st minute, his speculative shot taking a wicked deflection off Sami Khedira on the way past Gianluigi Buffon.
Ronaldo sealed the result three minutes later, flicking in Isco’s cross at the near post. It was a wonderful, poacher’s finish, and Ronaldo’s 12th goal in the competition, the most of any player this season.
That wasn’t the last action of the match — Juan Cuadrado got sent off after ridiculous dive from Sergio Ramos, and Marco Asensio scored the fourth in the 90th minute — but it ended the match as a contest, bringing an end to an excellent run to the final by Juventus.
Highlights
Ronaldo becomes the 1st player to score in 3 Champions League finals to give Real Madrid the lead. #UCLfinal https://t.co/JLygGZfq1I
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 3, 2017
https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/871084019017859072
Casemiro with the blast. Khedira with the deflection. Buffon beaten. #UCLfinal https://t.co/V2k1pDnsyQ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 3, 2017
Ronaldo's second goal of the game and 12th of this #UCL season gives Real a 2-goal lead! Game over? #UCLfinal https://t.co/pgmczPC7wZ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 3, 2017
Next: Top 25 players in Champions League history
This was Ronaldo’s fourth Champions League win, and third with Real Madrid.