CARDIFF -- Wales’ capital city deserved a great final.
It got one.
[ MORE: 3 things we learned ]
This game is always the most-watched annual TV event around the globe and with two heavyweights colliding under the roof at the Principality Stadium the anticipation for Saturday’s final was intense. It did not disappoint.
Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice, plus a wonder-goal from Mario Mandzukic pulling Juventus level at half time. Then Real pulled away to seal back-to-back UCL trophies, their third in the last four seasons and Zinedine Zidane’s side became the first team in 27 years to defend the European Cup. There was plenty to celebrate for Real and their fans at the final whistle.
The Champions League final festivities have been going on all week in Cardiff and started early all around the UK on Saturday.
Packed onto trains from London’s Paddington Station early in the morning, fans of Juventus and Real Madrid were filled with nervous excitement as the belted out chants and sipped on beer with flags of their respective nations wrapped around their waists.
Fans flew from Madrid and Turin that morning and got straight to Paddington, still with their Gazzetta dello Sport and Marca newspapers under their aim, and jumped on the train.
Huge crowds were traveling from London to Cardiff, but many more awaited in Wales’ capital city after three days of events in and around the host city.
Wow. The scene at Paddington Station in London as fans of Juventus and Real Madrid head to Cardiff for the #UCL final ⚽️🚅🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/YENbyOvhIY
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) June 3, 2017
Before the game Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane spoke about wanting to see a “great final” between two attacking teams.
The former Juve star spoke for everyone and this game, and the occasion, lived up to the expectations.
His captain, Sergio Ramos, spoke about an “appointment with history” and Real delivered, extending their own record as 12-time champions of Europe.
Before the game, though, the subplots swirled.
Would Real become the first team in over 26 years to win back-to-back European Cups? Would Gareth Bale, the hometown hero, play for Real after his injury? Could legendary goalkeeper Gianliugi Buffon, 39, win his first-ever Champions League trophy? Would Cristiano Ronaldo equal Lionel Messi’s record of four Champions League titles? Could Juve become just the second Italian team to complete a famous treble?
The streets of Cardiff over 5 hours before kick off! #UCLFinal #RMFC #Juve pic.twitter.com/tBB7RDyNWa
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) June 3, 2017
All of that excitement, plus the fact that both teams were stacked with bonafide studs, meant that expectancy was in the air. Real had scored 32 goals throughout the competition this season, while Juve hadn’t lost any of their 12 games heading into the final.
With the sun beating down on the Welsh capital, the streets in and around the Millennium Stadium were packed hours before kick off.
Cardiff Castle was draped in Champions League banners with a dragon guarding the trophy, and the locals were dancing in the streets with fans of both clubs singing “Wales! Wales! Wales!”
There was a proper party atmosphere and the perfect way to bring down the curtain on the 2017-18 domestic season in Europe.
Cardiff Castle looking legit. 🙌🇬🇧#UCLFinal pic.twitter.com/X5g65zg8FJ
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) June 3, 2017
Locals drank beer and wore purple and white Real Madrid shirts, with Juve fans taking over one end of town and Real’s at the other.
Cardiff is the perfect place for an “away day” final with bars all long the cobbled streets leading down to the stadium as you get off the train. Just like it did during Wembley’s refurbishment as it hosted the FA Cup final, Cardiff did it right. Everyone wanted to be there as hotels were booked months in advanced and fans stayed in Bristol, Swansea and Newport nearby, plus many traveled from London on the day.
On the pitch before the game the Black Eyed Peas performed with Pyrotechnics in the background under the closed roof due to security concerns.
Even if the pregame show was a little too much for some purists, the game itself lived up to the hype.
Black Eyed Peas and fireworks here in Cardiff. #UCLfinal #RMFC #Juve pic.twitter.com/RcmF98KsQe
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) June 3, 2017
Ronaldo got the ball rolling and Manduzkic’s fine goal, which made it 1-1, will go down in history.
Have you EVER seen a better goal in a #UCLfinal? Take a bow, Juventus. 😱😱😱 https://t.co/FURVvwOHMD
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 3, 2017
But just when it ebbed and flowed in the second half, Real put its foot on the accelerator and kicked on.
Casemiro made it 2-1. Ronaldo made it 3-1 and Marco Asensio finished things off late on to make it 4-1. That was it. The game was done and dusted.
Ronaldo's second goal of the game and 12th of this #UCL season gives Real a 2-goal lead! Game over? #UCLfinal https://t.co/pgmczPC7wZ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 3, 2017
Cardiff’s ability to host and stage fine finals will never be over.
It is a city made for occasions like this and both sets of fans, the locals and, most importantly, the players, delivered.
Forget the cagey occasions of the past. This was what a UEFA Champions League final is meant to be like.
As Real’s players hoisted the UCL trophy into the air fireworks again filled the stadium to end what had truly been a memorable day for everyone involved.
