Juventus 1-4 Real Madrid: 7 Deadly Stats

Aditya Devavrat 02:10 04/06/2017
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    • The Champions League final was guaranteed to be historic regardless of who triumphed. Either Juventus would complete a magical treble, or Real Madrid would become the first team to win successive titles in the Champions League era.

    That weight of history didn’t seem too heavy during a thrilling first half, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s precise finish to open the scoring was soon overshadowed by Mario Mandzukic’s spectacular overhead kick which equalised for Juventus.

    In the second half, however, Madrid ended up running riot, as two quick-fire goals from Casemiro and Ronaldo broke Juve’s resistance before Marco Asensio wrapped up the scoring to ensure it would be Real Madrid creating history.

    Here are seven deadly stats from the 2017 Champions League final.

    RONALDO MAKES HISTORY FOR HIMSELF…

    Cristiano Ronaldo was always bound to stamp his presence on this final, and, 20 minutes in, he delivered.

    An unerring finish that left Gianluigi Buffon with no chance – albeit helped by a slight deflection – opened the scoring on the night and put the Portugal man into the history books.

    If anyone’s keeping score in the Ronaldo vs Messi debate, here’s something the Real Madrid striker will always have over his rival.

    …AND FOR HIS CLUB

    Ronaldo’s goal also brought up a historic landmark for Real Madrid.

    The Champions League/European Cup has always been the tournament by which Madrid have measured their success, even if they also have more La Liga titles than anyone else in Spain, and getting to 500 goals would have been a source of pride for the club.

    It wasn’t the only time they’d make Champions League history on the night.

    MANDZUKIC JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB

    Ronaldo may be the only player to score in three Champions League finals, but Mario Mandzukic joined him in a different, albeit nearly as exclusive, group of players tonight.

    Mandzukic had previously scored in the 2013 final for Bayern Munich.

    On Saturday, not only did the Croat put himself in a select club, but he also opened a serious debate on the best-ever Champions League final goal thanks to his bicycle kick.

    MADRID’S PASSERS DOMINANT

    Perhaps the first-half passing stats for Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, and Isco weren’t too surprising given the amount of possession they had, but it just goes to show how this group of players can control a game.

    At this rate, Barcelona’s title as the pass-masters of the game is under serious threat. This year, at least, Real Madrid’s midfield has been superior to just about everyone else in Europe.

    And one of those midfielders would soon have a telling impact on the final…

    CASEMIRO, MADRID’S BIG-GAME PLAYER

    When thinking about who’s going to get the goals for Real Madrid, Casemiro usually doesn’t feature high on the list.

    But he’s popped up with some crucial ones this season, although none was as important as this.

    With the scores level at 1-1, the third goal was always going to be crucial, and the Madrid midfielder made sure it was his side who took the lead in the second half.

    RONALDO HITS 600

    Five goals across two legs, including a second-leg hat-trick, in the quarter-final. A hat-trick in the first leg of the semi-final. And now, a brace in the final.

    Let’s not forget that these 10 goals came against Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Juventus – three of the best defences in Europe.

    It’s going to take something special to deny him another Ballon D’or.

    JUVENTUS’ DEFENCE FINALLY COMES APART

    The Juventus defence had rightly been hyped as the best in Europe, and perhaps deserving of a place among the best in history.

    Well, that latter claim took a heavy beating on Saturday, even if the 4-1 scoreline was cruel.

    There were times, however, when this mighty defence genuinely looked ordinary – Ronaldo was in too much space for both his goals, and Marcelo was able to dance past the Juve defenders to set up Asensio for the back-breaking fourth.

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