Real Madrid Claim 11th Champions League Trophy

Real Madrid needed penalties to beat rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, as the match ended 1-1 after extra time before Los Blancos grabbed a 5-3 win in the shootout.

Sergio Ramos gave Real an early lead with a controversial goal, as the Spaniard appeared to be offside, and Los Blancos largely controlled the first half. Atletico came out firing after half-time, however, and Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty just minutes after the break.

Real had a handful of chances to double their lead but failed to make the most of them, and Yannick Carrasco bagged an equaliser with 11 minutes to play.
Extra time didn't result in any more goals, which led to penalties. With his side down 4-3, Juanfran struck the post, and Cristiano Ronaldo converted the final penalty to hand his team the title.
As the club's official Twitter account shared, Casemiro earned the start for Real, with Isco and James Rodriguez ready to contribute from the bench:
Per Football Espana, Stefan Savic started next to Diego Godin for Atletico, with Jose Gimenez and Carrasco taking a seat on the bench:
Kick-off was delayed because of a lengthy pre-match ceremony, which didn't please all the fans, and Bleacher Report UK's Karl Matchett wondered why organisers don't just let fans create an atmosphere themselves:
Karim Benzema came close to opening the score early. Gareth Bale launched a perfect free-kick into the box, and the Frenchman gave the ball a slight touch. Jan Oblak was positioned perfectly, however, and a quick sweep from his leg denied Real what appeared to be a sure goal.
Real dominated possession early, but the pace of the match remained slow because of a multitude of fouls. Dani Carvajal was booked after just 11 minutes for a rash tackle on Griezmann, and Juanfran was lucky not to join him for two fouls on Ronaldo and Bale.

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The second of those fouls led to another free-kick, which Toni Kroos curled to the edge of the box. Bale headed it on, and Ramos was there to push the ball past Oblak, giving his team a deserved lead.
ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan provided details:
FIFPro's Andrew Orsatti saw things differently:
Real maintained control after the goal, and while it didn't have many chances, it kept Atletico away from Keylor Navas' goal. It took no less than 25 minutes for Los Rojiblancos to fire a first real chance toward goal, with Juanfran blasting the ball well off target after some lovely work by Filipe Luis.
Los Blancos aimed for the counter-attack, and Oblak had to make a smart interception to deny a Benzema cross after Casemiro launched the move.

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Fernando Torres didn't drop back deep, and Griezmann was tasked with bridging the gap between midfield and attack. The Frenchman never seemed comfortable with the role in the first half, and when he did find some space inside the box, the flag went up before he even fired a half-volley goalward.
Yahoo Sports' Andrew Gaffney thought Atletico grew into the half, however:
Griezmann hit a tame shot into the arms of Navas with six minutes left in the half, and he just missed the goal shortly after as Atletico established themselves as the better team. Real barely threatened Oblak in the final 25 minutes of the half, though the threat of the counter was never far away.
The score was still 1-0 at half-time, and Bleacher Report's Dean Jones said Atletico needed something in midfield:
Manager Diego Simeone introduced Carrasco at half-time, with the Belgian replacing Augusto Fernandez and Griezmann splitting out wide. Just one minute into the half, Griezmann played a pass into the box toward Fernando Torres, and Pepe clumsily barged into the forward to cause a penalty.

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Griezmann lashed the ball down the centre but hit the crossbar, denying him the equaliser.
Sport Witness' Tom Coast provided a simple explanation for the miss:
Carvajal went down with an injury shortly after and limped off the pitch in tears, an ominous sign with Euro 2016 right around the corner.
Atletico pushed for an equaliser, and Savic came agonisingly close on a corner kick, directing the ball just wide of the post. Real needed an answer, and Bale shot well wide of Oblak's goal.
Los Rojiblancos were in charge, however, with Coke trying his luck with an ambitious effort. Carrasco then found Saul Niguez with a good cross, but the youngster couldn't direct his volley on target.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Atletico's pressure didn't yield results, and Real gradually grew more comfortable. Benzema had a huge chance to double his team's lead when Luka Modric sent him through on goal with a delightful pass, but he his shot was straight at Oblak.
Pepe and Luis were then involved in a minor altercation, and the Portugal international tried to make the most of it. Per Corrigan, official Mark Clattenburg didn't fall for his theatrics:
Ronaldo had a chance to score but found Oblak in his way, and both he and Bale came agonisingly close minutes later, with Oblak and then Savic saving their team.
Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch, as Carrasco fired home from close range after a lovely assist from Juanfran.
Sport Witness was excited:
Atletico appeared to have the fresher legs and prepared for a final assault, and Torres narrowly missed the goal from close range. Bale beat Juanfran but couldn't find a cross, and he knocked a header over the crossbar on the resulting corner.
The final push belonged to Real, but no chances followed, and the contest went to extra time.

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Bale launched the first shot of the first period over the bar and almost limped back into position, as the strain of 90 minutes started to take its toll. Ronaldo had an open chance on a corner kick, but a deflection took the ball into the waiting arms of Oblak.
A series of Atletico corners amounted to nothing, and Savic produced two fine blocks to deny Bale and Modric. Griezmann ended the first half with a missed overhead kick, allowing team doctors to go to work on Bale, who was struggling.
Real dictated the pace in the second half of extra time, but once again, chances were few. Lucas Vazquez had a shot blocked from a promising position, and Real pushed late. But penalties decided the outcome.

 

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Vazquez calmly converted for Real, as did Griezmann for Atletico. Marcelo, Gabi, Bale, Saul and Ramos all found the net before Juanfran hit the post. Then, Ronaldo sent Oblak the wrong way, handing Real the Undecima.

Post-Match Reaction

Per AS (h/t Football Espana), Ronaldo said he never doubted he would beat Oblak and praised manager Zinedine Zidane for his influence on the team:

I feel joy. We share this Champions League with the fans. I haven’t seen my family but obviously this is for them, for the players, for everyone. Many thanks to the fans.
I had a vision. I knew I was going to score the winning goal. I asked [Zinedine Zidane] to let me take the fifth penalty because I was going to score the winning goal.
Zidane has done a phenomenal job. He deserves it, he has humility and I’m happy for him. Balon d’Or? Winning the Champions League was first and to be the top scorer. It’s the seventh year I’ve scored more than 50 goals, for the first time in history.

Zidane only took the job in January, and his future as Blancos coach seems more than secure after leading an impressive turnaround and guiding the team to their 11th European Cup win.
He and his players will focus on breaking Barcelona's La Liga dominance next season, and judging by the fantastic results Real put together once Zidane was appointed, they'll once again be among the favourites in Europe as well.