In the Champions League final that ended in the early morning of the 29th, Beijing time, Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1:0, and won the championship again after 4 years, winning the 14th Champions League trophy in team history.
Veteran Benzema and goal hero Vinicius.
Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
When Real Madrid and Liverpool face off in the Champions League final again, it's hard not to be reminiscent of four years ago.
Real Madrid, who was at its peak at the time, beat Liverpool 3-1 to win the Champions League for three consecutive years.
Salah, who was injured in the first half, became one of the turning points of the game and a major regret for Liverpool.
Even though Liverpool won the Champions League a year later, there seemed to be a hurdle left, especially when the final against Real Madrid became clearer.
In 2018, Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3:1 in the Champions League final to achieve three consecutive championships.
In 4 years, the situation of the two teams was almost completely reversed.
The team at their peak was replaced by Liverpool. They have not lost much this season. Before the final against Real Madrid, Liverpool only lost 3 games, 2 of which were in the Premier League and 1 in the Champions League with Inter Milan. /8 The second round of the finals, but this does not prevent them from advancing.
Liverpool also won the FA Cup and the League Cup this season, and they are only 1 point behind Manchester City and runner-up in the league. The performance is strong enough.
Data map: Salah celebrates a goal.
Real Madrid has become a relatively weak side. The team is in the rebuilding period after Ancelotti took over as coach. The entire back line has almost been replaced, and the lineup has become younger. Compared with Salah and Mane, who have a tacit understanding in the opponent's lineup, Wade still looks a little immature.
Perhaps one of Real Madrid's few advantages is to sit back and relax, as rivals Liverpool were locked in a Premier League title race last weekend.
Most of the dominant factors point to Liverpool, making them a more optimistic side.
Real Madrid and Liverpool in the Champions League final entrance ceremony.
Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
The course of the game also profoundly explained these changes.
Liverpool, who had the initiative in the game, completed 10 shots in the first half alone, 5 of which were on target, and Mane also hit the post once.
Real Madrid, who lowered their posture and defended their position, only had one shot in the first half, but Benzema's goal was ruled offside, which laid a foreshadowing.
Change sides to fight again. In the 58th minute, Real Madrid scored the goal with almost the same counterattack by Vinicius.
Since then, although Liverpool still bombarded wildly, under the magical performance of Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois and the solid defense of the whole team, it was all in vain.
After four years in the final, the winner is still Real Madrid.
Vinicius scored the decisive goal.
Image source: Champions League official social media
Winning the Champions League in the rebuilding process has to make people lament Real Madrid's ability to absorb the Champions League trophy.
The 14 Champions League trophies can also be called fault advantages, with 7 more than AC Milan in second place.
In the past eight years, Real Madrid has won four Champions League titles, including three consecutive championships from 2016 to 2018.
There is indeed a kind of "choice" of the Champions League.
But look back at Real Madrid's Champions League win this season, and you'll see that their success was by no means a matter of luck.
In the group stage, they beat Inter Milan to qualify for the top spot in the group. After entering the knockout stage, they stepped through Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, and finally defeated Liverpool in the final.
This Real Madrid team, which was not optimistic before the final, just smashed the top three in the Premier League this season.
The god-level performance of goalkeeper Courtois is an important factor for Real Madrid to win the championship.
Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency.
Compared with the past, this galaxy battleship has some dim starlight, but it is precisely because of this that it can rely on its low profile and consistent tenacity to break out of the siege step by step.
The return of the meritorious coach Ancelotti has also become a reassurance in Real Madrid's reconstruction.
While allowing the veterans to continue to play their residual heat, it also allows a group of young players to grow up, and to achieve renewal in the process of bringing the old to the new and inheriting them.
In this Real Madrid team, veteran Benzema has the greatest confidence to impact the Golden Ball Award - 27 goals and 12 assists in 32 La Liga games, 15 goals and 2 assists in 11 games in the Champions League.
The veteran Modric continued to play the residual heat, and he sat in midfield with Kroos and Casemiro, becoming the backing of the strikers.
Young teenagers like Vinicius and Camavinga, Mendy and Militao who have gradually taken over the heavy responsibility on the back line, have also gained tremendous growth and have a bright future.
Vinicius celebrates a goal.
Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
They can always achieve each other. This is the attraction of Real Madrid to players, and it is also the reason why Real Madrid "chosen" the Champions League champion.
It is worth mentioning that Real Madrid President Florentino said about Mbappe after the game: "Real Madrid will always be committed to introducing the best players, but Mbappe has been forgotten. There is no him here today, Only Real Madrid."
I don't know if Mbappe will regret not choosing Real Madrid in the future, but Real Madrid obviously will not regret it.
(Author Bian Liqun)