Mandzukic bicycle kick draws Juve level in Champions League final (Video)

Mario Mandzukic scored a stunning bicycle kick to draw Juventus level in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

After falling a goal down halfway through the first half, Juventus responded with a goal of astonishing quality. Mario Mandzukic chested the ball down before completing a perfect bicycle kick into the top corner, past the outstretched arm of Keylor Navas.

The sequence began with a great volley cross into the box by Alex Sandro to Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain took a touch and passed it to Mandzukic, who proceeded to shock the world with his feat of greatness. This is Mandzukic’s second career goal in a Champions League final. He scored for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in 2013.

Through the first half, the match has been wide open. It has been dominated by counter attacks. The midfield players have had tons of space to work with to create chances. Both teams are making very few mistakes.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was elated after the goal. There is much speculation that this could be his last match ever. A Champions League victory would be quite the way to end his illustrious career.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal to open the scoring was not one to sneeze at either. He slotted it perfectly past Buffon’s hand into the bottom corner. It came after some precision passing by Madrid’s midfielders. Real have struggled to create clear cut chances outside of the goal, however, with Juve’s back line proving just as strong as it has throughout the rest of the competition.

Through just 30 minutes, this Champions League final has already proved to be one of the best. It will be fascinating to see what the teams have to offer down the stretch. With a win, Real Madrid would be the first repeat Champions League winners. Meanwhile, Juventus is attempting to avoid their seventh European Final loss.