Cristiano Ronaldo described the Champions League final as “a fantastic night” after he scored the winning penalty as Real Madrid won the European Cup for the 11th time with a 5-3 penalty shootout victory over their city rivals Atlético at San Siro.
Sergio Ramos tapped Gareth Bale’s flick home from close range after 15 minutes. Early in the second half, Antoine Griezmann struck a penalty for Atlético against the bar but the Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco levelled after 80 minutes to see the scores level at 1-1 before a goalless extra-time period.
Juanfran missed Atletico’s fourth spot-kick as the scores were 4-3 before Ronaldo slotted past Jan Oblak with the winner to hand Zinedine Zidane’s men the trophy they last took home two years ago, when they beat the same opponents 4-1 after extra time.
Ronaldo told BT Sport Europe: “You know that the penalty is always a lottery. You never know what’s going to happen. But we showed that our team had most experience and we showed that we scored all the penalties so it was unbelievable – a fantastic night.”
With concerns over many players on both teams suffering from cramp, Ronaldo stressed it had been a long season. The Portugal forward added: “It’s difficult, it’s the end of the season, people are not fit any more. We have to rest now.”
Bale was successful as he fired in Real’s third penalty, after Lucas Vázquez and Marcelo were on target and before Ramos slotted the fourth. The 26-year-old former Tottenham forward was pleased with the victory as he and his Real team-mates battled through the cramp for the win. He said: “What an amazing feeling. It was difficult in extra-time with a lot of people getting cramp. But we showed our resilience, we showed what we’re made of and we won in the 11th [hour
I had cramp after it [the penalty], thank God it wasn’t before. I actually wasn’t too nervous – I was nervous after it. I don’t know why. They were brilliant penalties from everyone.
“It’s an amazing feeling, I can’t describe how it feels. It’s amazing and the boys gave everything. The club, the fans have been amazing on this journey and they deserve it.”
On beating their city and Primera División rivals, for the second Champions League final in three seasons, he added: “That’s the most important thing. Obviously they gave us a great game and we’re obviously feeling a little bit sorry for them but a final is a final and you have to win.
“Everyone was struggling … I spoke with a few of their players who were struggling. We tried not to show it too much but we just kept going and I can’t wait to lift that trophy again.”
No comments:
Post a Comment