The Welshman did not even make the starting line-up here and only emerged just after the hour – but within two minutes he scored one of the great Champions League goals, an overhead kick that was a triumph of athleticism and technique, and begged the question as to how Real could even contemplate life without him. Hazard did get a 10-minute run-out in the 2-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday, but his long-term future looks bleak. Don’t be surprised if Dani Alves also plays over the out-of-favor Sergino Dest. The match will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the winners taking on either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Club in Sunday’s final. Vinicius : 5,5 – Il avait très bien commencé le match en donnant le tournis et en poussant James à la faute. With the outside of his foot, Modric stroked a 30-yard pass over to the right of the penalty area where Rodrygo, on as a substitute, volleyed in.Chelsea looked the more likely to nick a late winner and nearly did, with Kai Havertz nodding across the six-yard box but Christian Pulisic shot over.Into extra time and Madrid found another gear, Vinicius finally finding space to tear into.

In the EFL cup final victory it came down to backup keeper Caoimhin Kelleher in an 11-10 victory over Chelsea where he took his kick from the spot better than most forwards. Wednesday sees Chelsea and Real Madrid battle it out for the second Champions League final spot. It may just have been an expensive night for suitors such as Manchester United as his display here will have added millions to any potential transfer fee. We don’t quite realise what we have achieved yet. All of this has radically redefined what it means to compete and win at the highest levels of soccer. He has been responsible for 54 percent of Real Madrid’s goals scored and with two more goals he could tie Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League campaign with 17 and a hat trick in the final would see Benzema break the record for the most goals. Kai Havertz dragged Chelsea back into the contest from nowhere before half-time, but the luckless Edouard Mendy gifted Benzema his hat-trick goal with an undersold pass. But is that a good idea? When the story of this Champions League final is told from a Liverpool perspective, it will be the tale of Karius’ nightmare alongside that of Salah’s injury.

I had an injury five, six weeks in but have been fit ever since. The whole emphasis of the final shifted as Salah slumped to the turf for a second time after realising he could not carry on with the shoulder injury sustained in the tangle with Ramos. Despite their strong performances under Tuchel, the Blues are no sure thing to qualify for the Champions League next season. It sealed Real’s record 13th win in this competition, and their fourth in five seasons to give coach Zinedine Zidane this third triumph in three years. Gareth Bale scored one of European football’s great goals to help Real Madrid overcome Liverpool and win their third successive Champions League title as goalkeeper Loris Karius suffered a personal nightmare. 73′ Prior to this match, Real Madrid had only lost one of their last eight Champions League games when facing the previous season’s winners (winning five and drawing two). Barca lost in the final last year to Athletic, while Real Madrid were in the final two years ago, beating rival Atletico Madrid. Chelsea won the European title in 2012 and made it to the last four again two years later, but it hadn’t been back to the semifinals since then.

It will be the great unknown as to what might have happened had Salah stayed on but there is no question his departure was a savage blow to Liverpool and a lift for Real Madrid. Vinicius spins Fernandinho on the halfway line and leaves him for dust. Six minutes after half-time, the German inexplicably threw the ball against Karim Benzema, who was not even challenging with urgency, boutique real madrid and watched in horror as the ball rolled behind him into the net. There was to be no comeback from Liverpool this time and Karius’s misery was complete when he fumbled Bale’s hopeful 30-yard shot behind him to seal Real’s win. The 24-year-old German has been shown huge faith by Klopp, who brought him in from Mainz and made him first choice ahead of Simon Mignolet. Bale’s Real Madrid future has been under constant scrutiny this season – a quirk at a club that lives by its own rules. Bale delivered a reminder, if it were needed that he remains a world-class player.