Real Madrid establish European dominance in commanding win over Juve

The Spanish giants cemented their place in European and Champions League history with consecutive titles, a first in the Champions League era. Cristiano Ronaldo led the charge with two sublime finishes, notching his astounding 600th goal in 855 matches for club and country.

Yes, this is a Premier League website. However, given the monumental events that took place this evening in the Welsh capital, it would be awkward not to address them. The powerhouse that is Real Madrid steamrolled a world-class defensive and tactical Juventus squad with power and precision. In the entire 2016/17 Champions League campaign, the Turin side only conceded 3 goals. Tonight in Cardiff, they conceded 4.

The organization, hard work, and collective talent it takes in today’s Champions League to hold the opposition to 3 goals in the entire tournament is unbelievable and historic. Juve is truly a European juggernaut and have dominated Italy in recent years, winning a record-breaking 6 straight Serie A titles. Early betting odds actually had Juventus favored to win the showdown earlier in the week, many gamblers investing in the sturdy structure and elite defensive nature of the Italians.

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Los Blancos came to the Principality Stadium prepared to deal with the stubborn formation and barrier that is Juventus. In the first half, the match was actually pretty balanced. Allegri’s men came out firing, as they outshot Madrid 5 to 1 through almost 35 minutes of play. Ronaldo scored on the first shot for Real, proving yet again he is the ultimate clutch player. The Old Lady answered quickly, keeping up the press and forcing Madrid to turn the ball over in the final third.

The wonder goal that came 8 minutes later from Mario Mandzukic was a potential game changer. The classy flick from Gonzalo Higuaín allowed the Croatian to settle the ball with his chest before launching a golazo out of the reach of Keylor Navas into the back corner. I thought this would be a momentum swing in favor of the Italian side, but the boys from Turin were only able to produce one half of elite football.

As they say, the beautiful game is nothing but a “game of two halves”. That was exactly the story on Saturday night. Zinedine Zidane must have given the greatest half-time speech in European Cup history, worthy of being dramatized in a feature film or docudrama in the near future. Madrid came out firing on all cylinders, with Ronaldo and Marco Asensio netting goals after a poetic deflected goal off former Real Madrid man Sami Khedira.

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The momentous night officially declares Real Madrid a European dynasty. No other team is really close to matching their 12 titles. The core of the squad is still in tact as 9 of the 14 players in todays lineup also played in the 2013-14 final against Atletico in Lisbon. They have steamrolled the competition to collect a European trophy in 3 of the last 4 seasons. Zidane’s leadership and ability to organize and manage the superclub has proved priceless for the Galacticos.

Lest we forget or overlook the unremarkable phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo. His second goal of the night and nail in the coffin for Juve was his 600th goal in all 855 matches he has played for Sporting, United, Madrid, and Portugal. He now has 4 Champions League titles, on par with Barcelona rival Leo Messi. He has led Champions League scoring for 5 years in a row, and is surely on his way to a second consecutive and 5th overall Ballon d’Or. His career has truly come full circle.

The former Manchester United man and his Real Madrid side are undoubtedly the team to beat in Spain and Europe.

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