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Madrid beat Liverpool to complete hat-trick

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Real Madrid completed their third straight UEFA Champions League triumph with a 3-1 defeat of Liverpool in Kyiv. Gareth Bale scored twice off the bench as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in Kyiv to become European champions for the 13th time. Bale's first was an 'I-was-there' goal, one to rival Zinédine Zidane, Mario Mandžukić and any other you care to name as the best in final history. Marcelo's cross from the left looked harmless enough, but the Welshman, 20 metres out, somehow contorted his body to hook the ball over his head with enough power that it fizzed past Loris Karius. Quite the contrast to Madrid's opener on 51 minutes, when Karius attempted to roll the ball out to a team-mate only for Benzema to stick out a hopeful leg which turned out to be a goalscoring interception. Isco had been denied by the crossbar shortly prior to that, but Liverpool – creaking ever since the talismanic Mohamed Salah had been forced off with a shoulder problem in t...

Ronaldo edges Real Madrid past Juventus

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Cristiano Ronaldo's last-gasp penalty on his 150th UEFA Champions League appearance sent Real Madrid through to their eighth consecutive semi-final. THE MATCH AS IT HAPPENED Juventus needed an early fillip having been defeated 3-0 at home in the first leg and it arrived inside two minutes when Sami Khedira darted down the right channel and crossed for Mario Mandžukić to thump a header past Keylor Navas. The Croatian striker repeated the trick from Stephan Lichtsteiner's centre before the interval and the most unlikely of turnarounds became a serious reality when Blaise Matuidi stabbed in the third following a Navas fumble just past the hour. But, with extra time looming, Medhi Benatia barged over Lucas Vázquez and Ronaldo kept his cool to fire the penalty into the top corner past Wojciech Szczęsny – who came on for the spot kick after Gianluigi Buffon was dismissed. Key player: Mario Mandžukić (Juventus) Mandžukić had not been at his best and was compet...

Ronaldo brilliance puts Madrid in charge against Juventus

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Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid beat Juventus 3-0 in Turin to close in on a UEFA Champions League semi-final place. Ronaldo broke the deadlock when he met Isco's cross after just three minutes, but it was his second – a sensational overhead kick just after the hour – that prompted even the home fans to applaud. Juve's misery was further compounded by Paulo Dybala's red card and Marcelo bundling in a third, with Ronaldo later hitting the crossbar – as Toni Kroos had done in the opening period – and spurning two more opportunities to register yet another hat-trick. The headlines were already his, though, his exploits leaving Juve with a mountain to climb in the Spanish capital next week. Hard work pays off! Une publication partagée par Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) le 3 Avril 2018 à 4 :23 PDT Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Who else? Two more goals, more sheer brilliance, another match-winning performance. Ronaldo...