Real Madrid Confirm Status as Footballing Superpower with Fifteenth UEFA Champions League Win
On the evening of June 1st, the UEFA Champions League final for the 2023/24 season took place at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London. In the final, Real Madrid faced the sensational Borussia Dortmund, who, despite not being favourites at any previous stages of the competition, managed to reach the final of Europe's most prestigious tournament. However, the Germans were unable to pull off another upset in the final, with Real Madrid claiming a 2-0 victory and securing their fifteenth European club trophy, reports UEFA.
In the first half, Real Madrid completely ceded the initiative to their opponents. Borussia attacked frequently and created many chances. However, in some instances, the Germans lacked finesse, while in others, Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had recovered from injury and replaced Ukrainian Andriy Lunin, performed brilliantly. The first half ended goalless.
At the start of the second half, Real Madrid began to press their opponents' goal. Early on, the legendary German midfielder Toni Kroos, playing his last club-level match, came close to scoring for the Spaniards. After the upcoming European Championship, Kroos is set to retire entirely. However, his free-kick was miraculously saved by Borussia's goalkeeper. Nonetheless, Kroos made his mark on his farewell match. It was his corner kick in the 74th minute that Dani Carvajal converted to put Real Madrid ahead. Following a dreadful mistake by a Borussia defender in the 84th minute, Vinícius doubled the Spaniards' lead, effectively ending any suspense in the match.
Thus, the Spanish giants claimed the title of Europe's strongest club for the fifteenth time. This unique achievement sets them apart, as no other team comes close to matching Real Madrid's record: the Italian club AC Milan is in second place with seven trophies, while the German club Bayern Munich and the English club Liverpool have each won the prestigious European tournament six times.
It should be noted that Real Madrid won the first ever UEFA Champions League, then known as the European Cup, in 1955 and retained the trophy for the next four tournaments—this remains the longest winning streak in the competition's history, with five consecutive titles.
In related news, The Gaze reported that Greece won their first ever European football trophy after Olympiacos triumphed in the UEFA Conference League, and the Italian club Atalanta secured their first European trophy by winning the UEFA Europa League.