Real Madrid beats Liverpool for 14th European Cup title

PARIS — Yet another Champions League title for Real Madrid, the undisputed king of Europe.

Yet another showpiece European soccer game tarnished by chaotic crowd issues and disorder.

Madrid became European champion for a recordextending 14th time — double the number of any other team on the continent — after beating Liverpool 1-0 in a final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing scenes outside the Stade de France on Saturday. It evoked memories of the violence that marred the European

Championship final at Wembley Stadium 10 months ago.

Brazil winger Vinicius Junior was the match-winner, applying a close-range finish in the 59th minute from Federico Valverde’s drive across the face of goal, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois took just as many plaudits by making breathtaking saves by Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

“Today nobody was going to get in my way,” Courtois said. “I was going to win a Champions League no matter what.”

It gave Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti a fourth European Cup title, the most ever for a manager in the competition’s history, and completed the Champions League-La Liga double for a Spanish giant for whom winning titles is ingrained in its culture.

And this time, there was no need for the kind of stirring comeback that Madrid had to produce in getting past Paris SaintGermain, defending champion Chelsea and Manchester City in the knockout stage. It might go down as the most grueling run to the title in the long history of the competition

“We are the best,” Madrid striker Karim Benzema said. “It was a very difficult competition for us and we deserved to win this final. With all the history this team has, we showed everyone that we are always here.”

Liverpool’s players finished with just the two domestic cups in England to show for their efforts.