Liverpool vs Real Madrid LIVE: Champions League final result, score and reaction
Relive all the action from the Stade de France after Vinicius ensured Real Madrid of a record-extending 14th European Cup
Liverpool were denied a seventh European crown as Real Madrid became kings of the continent once again thanks to Vinicius Junior’s strike in a Champions League final marred by chaos outside the Stade de France.
Paris stepped in as host after UEFA stripped St Petersburg of the showpiece following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it did not provide a fitting host as European royalty went toe-to-toe in the biggest club match of the season.
Kick-off had to be delayed by 36 minutes due to substantial security issues outside the Stade de France, where Liverpool would be edged out 1-0 in a tense, engaging final settled by Real star Vinicius Jr.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were unable to find a response to the second-half strike as Carlo Ancelotti, managing a record fifth Champions League final just a year after leaving Everton, oversaw the Spanish giants’ 14th European Cup triumph.
It was a heartbreaking end to a memorable season for Liverpool, who won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup before being pipped to the Premier League title by a point and losing in the French capital.
Relive all the action from Paris:
From tears to beers: How Liverpool found defiance amid despondency of Champions League final defeat
Real Madrid eye statement Champions League victory amid shifting landscape of European football
Is Karim Benzema the deadliest finisher in Europe? Dissecting the data behind the world’s best goalscorers
Champions League Final: Liverpool vs Real Madrid predicted line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Salah, Mane, Diaz
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius
Champions League Final: Liverpool vs Real Madrid prediction
Real Madrid have pulled off some dizzying comebacks in this season’s Champions League but Liverpool are a stronger squad and have consistently shown the ability to rise to the occasion themselves. They will be even more determined after missing out on the final day of the Premier League season and will be desperate to avenge their defeat against Madrid in the 2018 final. Liverpool 3-1 Real Madrid
Champions League Final: Liverpool vs Real Madrid odds
Liverpool - 11/10
Draw - 13/5
Real Madrid - 23/10
Liverpool must stop ‘pivotal’ Luka Modric in Champions League final, Sergio Aguero claims
Sergio Aguero believes that stopping the “pivotal” Luka Modric is key to Liverpool’s chances of beating Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The influential Croatian midfielder has again been a key part of Madrid’s run to the Paris decider, controlling the game in the heart of Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Modric produced a fine performance the last time these two clubs met in the final of this competition in 2018, clinching a third successive Champions League crown.
Liverpool must stop ‘pivotal’ Luka Modric to beat Real Madrid, Sergio Aguero claims
Aguero has predicted that Liverpool will be keen for a fast start in Paris
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott itching to sample Champions League final atmosphere
Harvey Elliott is itching for action but determined to soak up the occasion regardless of whether or not he features in the Champions League final.
The 19-year-old midfielder hopes to be on the bench at least as Liverpool take on Real Madrid for European club football’s top prize at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.
That would underscore an impressive rise for the boyhood Liverpool fan, who four years ago was in the crowd as the Reds were beaten by the Spanish giants in the final in Kiev.
“I am still supporting the team as a fan but to be able to say I’m going to be there as a player is a dream in itself,” Elliott said. “It is just going to be crazy.
“I don’t know how it is going to feel because I’ve never experienced it before as a player, there are going to be so many emotions going through me.
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott itching to sample Champions League final atmosphere
The 19-year-old midfielder has seen his chances with the Merseysiders hampered by injury
Sadio Mane reveals how Jurgen Klopp stopped him joining Manchester United
Liverpool star Sadio Mane has revealed just how close he was to signing for Manchester United, and how a phone call from Jurgen Klopp persuaded him to move to Anfield instead.
Mane was a £30 million signing from Southampton in 2016, Klopp’s first summer at Liverpool, and has had a transformative effect on the team under the German’s management.
The 30-year-old will play in his third Champions League final in five seasons on Saturday against Real Madrid, as Liverpool attempt to win the treble by adding to their Carabao and FA Cup wins this season.
But in an interview with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, Mane revealed there was a contract offer from United that he was close to accepting before Klopp managed to change his mind.
“I have to say, I was really close to going to Manchester United,” Mane told The Telegraph. “I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead I thought, ‘No, I want to go to Liverpool’.
Sadio Mane reveals how Jurgen Klopp stopped him joining Manchester United
Mane was ‘ready’ to join Manchester United before a phone call from Klopp changed his mind
Liverpool vs Real Madrid: So much has changed but European royalty remains the same
There is something about Paris in the spring. It is a fine place for a final. Liverpool and Real Madrid know this. They have been there before.
In 1981, these two great clubs contested the European Cup final in the French capital. That was their very first meeting. Saturday’s Champions League final will be the ninth and the third time they have vied to become champions of Europe in the continent’s biggest game of the season.
Things were so different 41 years ago that they would hardly be recognisable to the Kopites and Madridistas flocking to the Stade de France over the next 48 hours. The City of Light still has its famous attractions like the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower but the football experience has changed drastically.
Paris will once again be swamped with Liverpool fans. The majority of them will watch the final on television, though, in bars and on big screens. In 1981, almost every supporter who made the journey to the Parc des Prince got into the stadium. There was little if any corporate presence and the local population were keen to sell on their tickets.
So were the Real fans. Despite a paltry allocation – some things never change – of just 12,000 for each club in a ground that held more than 48,000, Madrid did not sell out. There were gaps in their end and many, including myself, bought a ticket from a Spaniard at face value. It was expensive: 100 francs, almost £9 (about £31 today, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator). The lowest-cost seats were 25 francs. For those attending on Saturday, the cheapest tickets are £42 with a restricted view, going up to an eye-watering £579.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid: So much has changed but European royalty remains the same
Familiar opponents on the greatest stage of all, even if the setting is wildly different to the first time they clashed
Is Karim Benzema the deadliest finisher in Europe? Dissecting the data behind the world’s best goalscorers
After one of Karim Benzema’s 10 goals during the Champions League knockouts, someone on BT Sport declared we were watching “the best finisher in the world” (I forget who or when, but I think the quote was rounded off with a “Fletch”).
It is hard to argue with this statement. Benzema has had an incredible season, scoring 44 goals in 45 games, including 15 in the Champions League which puts in reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 in a single campaign – Benzema scored hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea, and it is not unimaginable that he might leave Saturday’s final against Liverpool with the match ball under his arm and Ronaldo’s record too.
But finishing is different to goalscoring. The best finisher in the world does not necessarily score the most goals, but makes the very most of the chances they have. If every forward in Europe had exactly the same chances this season, would Benzema have scored the most goals?
We decided to try and find out.
Is Karim Benzema the deadliest finisher in Europe?
Karim Benzema has racked up goals in the Champions League propelling Real Madrid to Saturday’s final against Liverpool, so is he the most accurate forward around? And what else does the data show?
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