Real Madrid have won the 2022 UEFA Champions League, with Vinicius Jr's goal sealing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the final at the Stade de France. The start of the match had to be delayed by 36 minutes owing to a security issue outside the Stade de France on Saturday.
There was plenty of opportunities for both teams to capture the 2022 Champions League trophy, but Real Madrid was able to secure a 1-0 win over Liverpool to win the club’s 14th UCL title.
Karim Benzema did not add to his 15 UCL goals but it was fitting that it was his main sidekick, Brazil winger Vinícius Júnior, who got the only goal in the 59th minute. Los Blancos beat PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester United on the way to the final.
Jurgen Klopp made his changes soon after, first sending on Diogo Jota and then the pair of Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino, with all three looking to change the game for the better.
Real began to suffocate the tie in midfield, and the clever movement almost led to an opener, only for the Frenchman’s goal to be ruled out for offside after an Alisson error and a lengthy VAR check.
Madrid cemented its status as the king of European football, given the Spanish giant owns double the number of European Cups as the No. 2 on the list, AC Milan. Liverpool stayed on six.
Liverpool did the early running as the trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric stayed back to make it a tight back five unit. Though Liverpool had more of the ball, they were not creating chances.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made his first save in the 16th minute from a Mohamed Salah flick. The second followed almost immediately though this was an easy curler from Thiago. Three minutes later, Salah flashed a volley straight at the Real Madrid goalkeeper as Liverpool burst into attacking verve.
This is a disappointing end to the season for Liverpool, which had hopes for a quadruple and a treble dashed in back-to-back contests.
