2018 UEFA Champions League final facts for kids
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Match programme cover
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| Event | 2017–18 UEFA Champions League | ||||||
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| Date | 26 May 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) | ||||||
| Referee | Milorad Mažić (Serbia) | ||||||
| Attendance | 61,561 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny 20 °C (68 °F) 37% humidity |
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The 2018 UEFA Champions League final was the exciting last match of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League season. This is Europe's top club football tournament, organized by UEFA. It was the 63rd season of the tournament. It was also the 26th season since it changed its name from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The big game happened on May 26, 2018, at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. The teams playing were Real Madrid from Spain and Liverpool from England. Real Madrid were the champions from the last two years. Liverpool was playing in their eighth final, and their first since 2007. These two teams had played against each other in a final before, way back in 1981.
In the match, Karim Benzema scored first for Real Madrid. Then, Sadio Mané from Liverpool scored to make it a tie. But then, Gareth Bale scored two amazing goals for Real Madrid. This gave Real Madrid a 3–1 win. Gareth Bale was named the best player of the match. Real Madrid became the first team to win the Champions League three times in a row. They also won their 13th European Cup title overall.
Contents
Teams in the Final
The 2018 final featured two legendary teams: Real Madrid and Liverpool. Both clubs have a rich history in this competition.
The table below shows how many times each team played in the final. Winners are shown in bold.
| Team | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
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 Real Madrid |
15 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1981, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017) |
 Liverpool |
7 (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1985, 2005, 2007) |
Where the Final Was Played
The NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine, was chosen to host the final. This decision was made on September 15, 2016. It was the sixth time a European Cup/Champions League final was held in Eastern Europe.
The Olimpiyskiy Stadium was first built in 1923. It has been updated three times, most recently in 2011. This was to get ready for the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament. The stadium was also used for football games during the 1980 Summer Olympics. It can hold 70,050 people. The stadium is home to the Ukraine national football team and Dynamo Kyiv.
How Teams Reached the Final
Real Madrid's Journey
Real Madrid were the defending champions. They made it to their 16th final by beating Bayern Munich 4–3 overall. This was Real Madrid's third final in a row. They had a chance to win their 13th title, which would be a new record. They had won many finals before, including in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, and 2017. They had only lost three finals before.
Real Madrid was only the third team in the Champions League era to reach three finals in a row. They were also the first team in the Champions League era to win three finals in a row.
Liverpool's Journey
Liverpool reached their eighth final. This was their first final since 2007. They got there by beating Roma 7–6 overall. Liverpool had won the final five times before, in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, and 2005. They had lost twice, in 1985 and 2007.
Liverpool was the first team since Bayern Munich in 2011–12 to reach the final after playing in the qualifying rounds. The last time an English team was in the final was when Chelsea played in 2012. Liverpool was also the last team to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup final, winning 1–0 in 1981.
Past Matches Between the Teams
Besides the 1981 final, Real Madrid and Liverpool had played each other four times in the Champions League. Liverpool won both games in 2008–09. Real Madrid won both games in 2014–15.
Before the Match
Final Ambassador
The special ambassador for the final was Andriy Shevchenko. He is a former Ukrainian football star. He won the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan in 2003.
Tickets for Fans
The stadium could hold 63,000 people for the final. A total of 40,700 tickets were available for fans. The two teams playing, Real Madrid and Liverpool, each got 17,000 tickets for their supporters. Another 6,700 tickets were sold to fans around the world through UEFA.com. These tickets were sold in March 2018. The prices for tickets ranged from €70 to €450. The rest of the tickets went to UEFA, partners, and broadcasters.
Opening Ceremony
English singer Dua Lipa performed at the opening ceremony. This happened just before the final match started. Jamaican rapper Sean Paul joined her as a special guest. They performed their song "No Lie" together. The famous UEFA Champions League Anthem was played by the Croatian cello duo 2Cellos.
Other Events
The 2018 UEFA Women's Champions League final was played two days earlier. It took place on May 24, 2018. The match was at the Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium. Lyon won against Wolfsburg 4–1. This was the last time the host city for the men's final also hosted the women's final.
A special UEFA Champions Festival was held in Kyiv city center. It ran from May 24 to May 27, 2018.
Travel Issues for Fans
Some fans had problems finding flights and places to stay in Kyiv. Some hotel bookings were cancelled. Many locals in Kyiv offered free places for fans to stay. Several flights for Liverpool fans were cancelled. This left many fans unable to travel.
There was also an incident where some Liverpool fans were attacked. This happened in a restaurant on May 24.
The Match Itself
Match Officials
Milorad Mažić from Serbia was chosen to be the referee for the final. UEFA announced this on May 7, 2018. Mažić has been a FIFA referee since 2009. He was joined by other officials from Serbia. The fourth official was Clément Turpin from France.
Game Summary
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Liverpool started the match with strong attacks. Real Madrid played a slower game, keeping the ball more. In the 23rd minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold had a shot that was saved by Keylor Navas. Two minutes later, Liverpool's star player Mohamed Salah was injured. He had to leave the game and was replaced by Adam Lallana. Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal also got injured and had to leave the game.
Just before halftime, Karim Benzema scored for Real Madrid. But the goal was not allowed because he was offside. The first half ended with no goals scored. Real Madrid had more of the ball, but Liverpool had more chances to score.
The second half started with a shot by Isco for Real Madrid that hit the crossbar. In the 51st minute, Benzema scored the first goal of the match. He blocked a throw from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, and the ball went into the net. Liverpool quickly equalized four minutes later. Sadio Mané tapped in a goal after a corner kick.
Gareth Bale came on as a substitute for Real Madrid in the 61st minute. Just two minutes later, he scored an amazing goal with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Liverpool tried hard to score again. Mané hit the goal post with a shot. Real Madrid then scored their third goal in the 83rd minute. Bale scored again with a long shot that went past Karius. Near the end of the game, a fan ran onto the field.
Match Details
The "home" team for the final was decided by a draw. This draw happened on April 13, 2018.
| 26 May 2018 20:45 CEST |
Real Madrid |
3–1 | Liverpool |
NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv Attendance: 61,561 Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia) |
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| https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000885/match=2021711/index.html |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Match rules
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Match Statistics
These statistics show how the teams played during the game.
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After the Match
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Real Madrid made history by winning three UEFA Champions League titles in a row. This had not happened since Bayern Munich did it between 1974 and 1976. This was Real Madrid's 13th title, which is a record. It was also their fourth win in just five years. This victory meant that Spanish teams had won the Champions League five times in a row.
The manager of Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane, became the first manager to win three Champions League titles in a row. He also matched Carlo Ancelotti's record for total wins in the Champions League era. Five days after the final, Zidane announced he was stepping down as manager. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to win the Champions League five times. This match was also Cristiano Ronaldo's last game for Real Madrid. He later moved to Juventus.
Gareth Bale was the first substitute player to score two goals in a Champions League final. He was named the best player of the match. His first goal was considered one of the best in Champions League history.
There was a lot of discussion about Sergio Ramos's tackle on Mohamed Salah. Some people thought it was intentional, while others believed it was an accident. Salah had to leave the game because of a shoulder injury. There was also a separate incident involving Ramos and Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. A video showed Ramos appearing to elbow Karius before Karius made some mistakes. UEFA decided not to take action against Ramos for the incident with Karius. Later, a doctor said that Karius had a concussion during the match. This concussion might have affected how he played.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp lost his sixth major final out of seven. After the match, Loris Karius apologized to Liverpool fans for his mistakes. He felt his errors cost the team the final. After the game, he received many harsh messages online. This match ended up being Karius's last game for Liverpool. He later went on loan to other clubs.
More to Explore
- 1981 European Cup final – The final between these same two teams.
- 2022 UEFA Champions League final – Another final between Real Madrid and Liverpool.
- 2018 UEFA Europa League final
- 2018 UEFA Super Cup
- Liverpool F.C. in international football
- Real Madrid CF in international football competitions
