THE ECSTASY

Bale’s wonder goal wins it for Real as Spanish giants seal third successive European crown...

IN THE END, hope alone wasn’t enough to carry Liverpool to victory. The sheer joy of their football, those bursts of exhilarating attacking, seemed at one stage to be carrying them to a sixth Champions League trophy.

Yet Real Madrid don’t indulge romantic whims. They win trophies. A 13th European Cup goes their way. From the moment Mohamed Salah was crushed by the weight of Sergio Ramos, whose strong arm gripped the Egyptian, forcing him to fall unnaturally on his shoulder, that seemed the most likely conclusion.

Salah, tearful, departed injured on 30 minutes. And though Liverpool fought on gamely, with Sadio Mane superb, you sensed a moment passing. The Establishment knows a thing or two about quelling youthful idealism.

Still, this was an astonishing final and the twists and turns it would yet entertain were quite unfathomable when Salah left the field. The bare facts of an extraordinary game of football are these: Zinedine Zidane, with a third successive Champions League trophy, joins Carlo Ancelotti and Bob Paisley as the most successful coaches in this competition.

Real Madrid join Ajax and Bayern from the 1970s in winning three successive trophies. Except, of course, they have done it all before, bigger and better, in the 1950s, with five successive wins.

On another night we might have been lauding an exceptional performance from Britain’s best player, Welshman Gareth Bale. Excluded from the starting line-up, he came on to win the game with a goal so good it may be unmatched for decades. Maybe it even surpassed that of the manager who had left him out, who scored a similar goal in the 2002 final. He then added a second, which finished Liverpool. And perhaps Loris Karius.

At the end Karius wept uncontrollably. It is hard to recall a night which has gone so spectacularly wrong for a team player at such a high-profile event. At times he was superb, his saves spectacular. Yet this will always be the final he lost.

The first goal he conceded was comically awful, bowling the ball out directly into Karim Benzema’s outstretched leg. The second was just as bad, allowing Bale’s speculative shot from 30 yards, aimed straight at him, to slide through his hands. You had to feel enormous sympathy for him. It was the kind of night from which only the strongest recover.

Jurgen Klopp too will have to endure familiar barbs. ‘We wanted everything and got nothing,’ he lamented. ‘Or minus something, with the injury of Mo. Probably Egypt lost him for the World Cup. I hope not.’

This was a sixth consecutive defeat in cup finals, Liverpool’s third under his tenure. And, of course, there are improvements to be made. But to deny the impact of his leadership would be to carp. He has elevated Liverpool, who are steadily regaining their place at the top table. Trophies may — or may not — follow. But his quality is undeniable.

As promised, Liverpool started with what Klopp had described as ‘big balls football’ and Real Madrid seemed aghast. It was like watching footballing aristocracy being asked to mix with hoi polloi. It was quite something to see a team as accomplished as Real Madrid quite so firmly on the back foot.

When Dani Carvajal sent an attempted crossfield pass straight out for a corner on 17 minutes, it seemed to represent the minor panic induced in Real Madrid by Liverpool’s ferocity. From the corner, Virgil van Dijk headed just over. On 22 minutes, Roberto Firmino’s shot was deflected into the path of Trent Alexander-Arnold. His strike, firm and low, forced a fine save from Keylor Navas.

However, on 28 minutes came the most grievous of blows. Two minutes earlier, in a tussle with Ramos, Salah had been held and crushed to the ground and emerged clutching his shoulder. He winced but played on for two minutes before he simply dropped to his knees, seemingly in tears and holding that injured shoulder. He walked off, sobbing, straight into the arms of a Klopp bear hug, as Adam Lallana came on. Ramos wasn’t seen to smirk. But presumably this was peak schadenfreude.

‘Of course it was a big moment in the game,’ said Klopp. ‘I know if you say something like this, it’s like you’re bad loser. But it was a harsh challenge and the arm is there, like wrestling. It’s a serious injury. Really serious. Then we dropped a bit too deep. I don’t know what would have happened if Mo had played on. But everyone saw the first half-hour and we were the opponent that everyone expected.’

Real Madrid would lose Carvajal on 37 minutes and again tears flowed. Yet Liverpool had lost their totemic presence, Real Madrid their right back. And now, where the champions had stuttered, now they strutted.

The threat was never more apparent than when Isco crossed on

42 minutes to find a rising Cristiano Ronaldo, who headed goalwards in his imperious fashion. It took a fine save from Karius to push the ball away, only into the path of Benzema, who volleyed in. A flag though was raised and Liverpool were spared.

After the restart, Ronaldo played in Marcelo and Lallana attempted to cut out his pass on 47 minutes. Yet unfortunately he only helped the ball on to Isco. Karius’s despairing lunge meant he pretty much had the whole goal to aim at. Somehow he hit the bar.

The reprieve wasn’t to last long. An over-hit Toni Kroos pass on 50 minutes was collected by Karius. In his eagerness to restart play, he attempted to bowl the ball out to his centre halves, but in too casual a fashion. Benzema was lurking and he simply lifted a foot and the ball lamely lolloped into the net.

Karius raged, Jordan Henderson protested to the referee. But really there was nothing to be said. Benzema’s foot wasn’t especially high and he wasn’t even that close. Karius had thrown the ball out; he hadn’t been interrupted mid-kick. It was an awful mistake. A groan of sympathy echoed around the ground as the replay was shown.

Liverpool looked lost. When Mane, in sheer frustration, raised a hand at Ramos, the Spaniard reacted predictably. Mane was lucky, he escaped with a lecture. Yet hope rekindled on 55 minutes. James Milner’s corner found Dejan Lovren, who rose above all and headed goalwards. Mane reacted quicker than anyone, stealing a yard, sticking out a leg and deflecting the ball home.

The stadium echoed again to the sounds of The Kop. Yet soon a fresh blow would arrive and this time as extraordinary as the first goal was ridiculous. Bale had barely been on two minutes. There seemed little danger when Marcelo dinked in a cross from the left. Yet, back to goal, Bale rose with scarcely believable athleticism to meet it with his foot, a good two metre and a half off the ground. It was the most spectacular of overhead kicks and simply soared into the net. It may not be bettered for decades.

Even then, Liverpool didn’t retreat. Ramos needed to stretch out a desperate left to prevent Mane racing through on goal on 69 minutes. A minute later, his strike from outside the box produced a fine save from Navas.

The denouement, though, was the unkindest cut of all. On 83 minutes, Bale took aim from 30 yards out. The shot had power and spun a little. But though it headed straight at Karius, it slipped through his hands. He seemed even to turn it into the net. And the hope which has sustained this extraordinary campaign finally died in that moment.