SPORTS Sunday, June 4, 2017 23

Cardiff Madrid’s third Champions unwanted record. ristiano Ronaldo scored League triumph in four years and The first Champions League twice as Real Madrid crushed 12th in total. final to be played beneath a JuventusC 4-1 in Cardiff yesterday Now a four-time Champions closed roof saw Juve hit their to become the first team to League winner, Ronaldo finished heads against a familiar ceiling retain the European Cup in the as the competition’s top scorer as they missed out on a chance Champions League era. for the fifth season running, to complete the first Treble in Ronaldo The Portugal superstar’s substantially enhancing his their history. opener was cancelled out chances of matching eternal rival The Italian champions also by an astonishing Mario Lionel Messi’s tally of five Ballons had substitute Juan Cuadrado Mandzukic strike, but d’Or. sent off after he was shown a goals from Casemiro, Zinedine Zidane, a head coach second yellow card for a gentle Ronaldo and for only 17 months, became the push on Sergio Ramos that drew Marco first manager to oversee back- a comical overreaction from the Asensio to-back European Cup successes Madrid skipper. secured since Arrigo Sacchi’s fabled AC Kick-off at the Principality Milan team won the tournament Stadium was delayed by two keeps in 1989 and 1990. minutes due to an elaborate It crowns a glorious season pre-match ceremony involving for Madrid, who have pulled American pop act the Black off a La Liga and European Cup Eyed Peas and when play got double for the first time since under way, Juve settled first. 1958, having also won the Club Gonzalo Higuain worked World Cup and European Keylor Navas twice, while Super Cup. Miralem Pjanic’s snappy half- Madrid Zidane’s volley forced the Madrid triumph was goalkeeper to produce a smart his former one-handed save. club Juve’s Madrid drew first blood in misery, the 20th minute when Ronaldo Massimiliano flicked the ball wide to Dani Allegri’s side Carvajal before artfully sweeping crashing to a fifth the Spaniard’s return pass into successive the bottom-left corner via a nick kings of defeat in off Leonardo Bonucci. Champions It was a fine strike, and it League made Ronaldo the first player finals and to have scored in three finals in seventh in the Champions League era, but it total, extending was cancelled out by Mandzukic’s Juventus’ Juan Cuadrado (R) tackles their own masterpiece, one of the great Europe Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo desperately European Cup final goals. (AFP)

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos lifts the trophy