Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his 4-1 goal during the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at Luz stadium in Lisbon, on May 24
Pepe, who played for Maritimo and FC Porto before joining Real Madrid, believes that Real had a special help in beating Atlético in the final of the Champions League. “I know that Eusébio was looking down on us as we strived for our tenth European title. It was important to win in Portugal, and the Estádio da Luz is a mystical stadium for the Portuguese. I am very happy to win in Lisbon,” said the Portuguese international.
Eusébio would certainly have been excited by the flying Welshman from Cardiff, Gareth Bale who bagged the all important second goal. It was clear that Cristiano Ronaldo was not fully fit whilst Atlético lost centre-forward Diego Costa after just 10 minutes.
In a ‘cat-and-mouse’ game it was Atlético who constantly snapped at the heels of the Real players; sometimes too aggressively for Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers who dished out seven yellow cards to Los Rojiblancos. Even so it was Atlético who took the lead 10 minutes before the break when a mistake by Real keeper Iker Casillas allowed Diego Godin’s header to cross the line.
Deep into stoppage time and Spanish international Sergio Ramos rescued Real Madrid when he headed home former Spurs favourite, Modric’s corner. In extra-time it was then left to another former Spurs star, Gareth Bale, to repay a large slice of his world record transfer fee of €100 million.
Di Maria, later to be presented with ’The Man-of-the-Match’ award by Sir Alex Ferguson, saw his shot ricochet off Thibaut Courtois’ boot and loop to the far post where Bale headed home before being engulfed in a mountain of players and Real staff.
Further goals from Marcelo and a last minute penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo, rumoured to be having a villa built in the east Algarve, wrapped up a 4-1 victory that takes Real’s European titles into double figures.
A glorious night that will long be remembered in Lisbon which last hosted a European final in 1967 when Glasgow Celtic became the first British club to win the European Cup. All but one member of the Celtic fifteen man squad that night were born within ten miles of Celtic Park, Glasgow.
