KEIR RADNEDGE in PARIS/SAINT-DENIS —- Real Madrid extended their record to 14 Champions League Cups after beating Liverpool 1-0 in a final delayed for 36 minutes after organisational confusion meant Liverpool fans were caught in crowd congestion outside the Stade de France.

Madrid’s high-class management of the match was founded on the brilliance of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and crowned by an opportunist counter-attacking goal from Vinicius Junior early in the second half.

Liverpool thus bowed to the Madrid maestros, just like Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City in the previous rounds.

It was Madrid’s fifth win in eight years. Who needs Kylian Mbappe? As coach Carlo Ancelotti said, precisely: “We had a fantastic season with a very good squad.”

Liverpool, so recently dreaming of a quadruple, were left with the comparative deflation of just the League Cup and FA Cup double, and even those won only on penalties.

However, when it comes to post-mortems, European federation UEFA and the French authorities must seriously examine their own roles over the crowd control issues before the game.

The Madrid end of the stadium was filled up an hour before the final but Liverpool fans found accessing the venue hard work amid reports of closed gates and security forces using tear gas to control the situation.

Venue switch

Originally the final had been scheduled by European federation UEFA for St Petersburg; Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempted land-grab in Ukraine put paid to that.

Liverpool were aiming to win their seventh European Cup, and register a third Champions League triumph, while Madrid had claimed the trophy a previous 13 times including seven in the UEFA Champions League era, both competition records already.

Both teams came back out on to the pitch for a second warm-up before the opening ceremony was eventually set under way and then the action.

Liverpool approached the duel inspired not only by a will for revenge but the ambition to make amends for having just missed out on the prospect of a unique quadruple for an English club after having been edged by Manchester City by one point in the Premier League title race.

Just as they lost to Madrid by one goal.

Liverpool pressure

Unsurprisingly after the delay the opening exchanges were scrappy. Liverpool’s high line meant they could be the more aggressive and Madrid were unable to take counter-attacking advantage. As the match developed so Liverpool took command.

Mo Salah had a jabbed close-range effort saved by a diving Thibaut Courtois and then the goalkeeper had to pull off two further, more comfortable saves from the Egyptian. The Belgian was beaten in the 20th minute by Sadio Mane but the ball struck the keeper’s right hand post and he was able to twist back and grab the loose ball.

Liverpool continued to press. Courtois’s positioning and safe hands denied Salah a headed effort and, all the while, Madrid continued playing in a different rhythm, searching to provide Vinicius with less frequent opportunities to test Liverpool’s pace and covering.

For all that, it was Madrid who were first to put the ball in the net through Karim Benzema just before halftime. An inordinately lengthy wait for the VAR check eventually rescued Liverpool with an offside ruling. Another day, another VAR team, and they could have been going in at halftime a goal down.

The organisational chaos outside was mirrored inside by an announcement of two minutes’ stoppage time while the fourth official’s board displayed three.

Madrid react

Liverpool pressed forward with serious intent immediately after the interval but it was Madrid who took the lead in the 59th minute. They broke sharply out of defence, Federico Valverde fired across goal, ad a deflecton wrong-footed Benzema but Vinicius sneaked in behind Alexander-Arnold for what proved the decisive strike.

Toni Kroos, Casemiro and the brilliant Luka Modric duly set themselves in disciplined fashion to organise the smothering in front of the outstanding Courtois who brought off another well-judged save from Salah as Liverpool chased the game in vain.

Casemiro misjudged his shot on another Madrid break before Klopp brought on Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino for Henderson and the faded Thiago whose fitness had been in doubt right up until the end of the warm-up.

Firmino made an immediate impact by opening up the Madrid defence only for Courtois to dive left to foil Jota. Keita fired hopelessly over the bar before the brilliant Courtois leaped to his right to produce perhaps his finest save to a vicious angled drive from Salah.

Madrid were kings of Europe yet again – and so was Ancelotti, now winner of a record four Champions Cups as a manager – to add to his two as a player.

The teams:

Liverpool: Alisson – Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson – Henderson (Keita 76), Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara (Firmino 76) – Salah, Mane, Luis Diaz (Jota 65). Manager: Klopp.

Real Madrid: Courtois – Carvajal, Eder Militao, Alaba, Fernand Mendy – Modric (Dani Ceballos 88), Casemiro, Kroos – Valverde (Camavinga 84), Benzema, Vinicius (Rodrygo 90). Coach: Ancelotti.

Referee: Turpin (Fra).

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