Zinedine Zidane came up with a plan in August to protect his star man for the vital games and Ronaldo delivered with two goals in the Champions League finalJust when you thought it might be all about the man it’s never about, it was about the man it’s always about. In the buildup to this final, Casemiro had insisted that he’s there to “plug holes”, claiming that it is robbing the ball, not scoring goals, that brings him pleasure, and yet he had just reached a higher plane, thumping in the shot that put Real Madrid back into the lead and looked set to bring the night in Cardiff to a close. Three minutes later, though, another man stepped centre-stage....
Premier League sides have struggled to impose themselves in Europe in recent years because the domestic competition is seen as an obstacle to successNext season, assuming Liverpool can negotiate the play-off round, there will be five English clubs in the Champions League. That is a large number, though it does not necessarily follow that a greater representation will lead to a better chance of English success. Premier League sides have been struggling to impose themselves in Europe in recent years. From a position a decade ago when finals were being reached on a regular basis and Uefa had genuine concerns when two English clubs faced each other in Moscow in 2008, the strength of the Premier League now seems to...
Juve have conceded only three goals in the Champions League all season and Real Madrid must find a way through their central defensive setup in the finalScoring goals is not something Real Madrid usually have a problem with. They have scored in every game this season and have not failed to score since Manchester City stopped them in the Champions League semi-final last year, a run of 64 games in a row in which they have found the net. If any team can stop them, though, it is Juventus, who have let in only three goals in 12 European games this season and only 27 in 38 in Serie A, and are equally comfortable in either a back three or...
Madrid are on the verge of a third Champions League title in four years, yet Ronaldo’s smothering persona is obscuring an exceptional eventCristiano Ronaldo has been grandly ever-present before Saturday’s Champions League final, lurking behind every object in your eyeline like the sky, or God. Away from football the Ronaldo newswire has been ticking and whirring away through the night. Ronaldo reveals his summer style secrets. Ronaldo’s girlfriend may or may not be pregnant. Ronaldo has been declared the most famous athlete on Earth – by an algorithm.As Real Madrid and Juventus complete their preparations for an intriguing final in Cardiff a large part of the analysis has, as ever, been bound up in trying to explain Ronaldo. Rarely can...
The Argentina striker is unbowed by big-stage flops and ready to deliver the trophy Juventus fans crave in the Champions League final against Real MadridGonzalo Higuaín could have lost his temper. He could have ranted about the 32 goals he has scored this season, or the double that set Juventus on the path to victory in the Champions League semi-final against Monaco. With a press officer trying to drag him away, he could just as easily have turned his back and ignored the question altogether.Instead, his response to being asked whether he would fluff his lines against Real Madrid on Saturday – just like he had in the finals of the 2014 World Cup and the Copa América Centenario –...