Analysis: Real Madrid

Real Madrid began in a 4-3-1-2 structure, as Isco had the licence to drift and roam across midfield. The Spaniard dropped back into a flat midfield four when Real had to deal with longer spells of Liverpool possession.

Real looked to build from deep throughout the first half, using short passes and a central overload. Casemiro and Toni Kroos, wary of potentially devastating Liverpool counter-attacks, remained very deep in central areas. Luka Modric and Isco also stayed in close proximity to the ball, increasing Madrid’s short passing options. If possession was lost, Madrid therefore had ample players nearby to counterpress immediately.

A notable strength of Real’s midfield is their incisive forward passing. They didn’t require many players in between Liverpool’s defensive units, and as the first half wore on, the Reds’ midfield grew tired of Madrid maintaining possession just in front of their central trio. Real were effective in individually luring out the Liverpool midfield, which provided them just enough space to play through to the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema, both of whom now had additional space to attack.

Defensively, Real were excellent, particularly during the initial transition as they lost possession. Liverpool naturally looked for Mo Salah with the first pass after regaining the ball – but the Egyptian constantly faced immediate pressure, and was often forced to play hurried passes into wider areas.

Madrid’s back line then began to anticipate where Salah would play his next pass, as Liverpool looked to break away at speed. From here, Madrid forced the ball into the channels, and again doubled up on the receiving Liverpool player. By forcing the ball away from goal, this reduced the threat of the Reds’ attacking transitions, and also allowed Real’s central midfielders to recover into a compact defensive shape.

Despite all of their first-half possession, though, they mustered few effective chances. Ronaldo came close from a difficult angle before the offside flag ruled out Benzema’s rebound. Isco’s sporadic movements across midfield – although effective in losing his marker – were unco-ordinated with his side’s attack. As Kroos and Modric continued to lure out a Liverpool midfielder, Isco often found himself on top of teammates, only able to offer backward passes.

Real immediately began the second half in a much more direct manner, as Isco hit the bar within the opening two minutes. Benzema’s forward movements became more centrally based, and the France forward repeatedly asked for balls in behind.

It was somewhat bizarre circumstances that led to the opening goal, however. Benzema ran on to an overhit pass from Kroos, with Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius quick to rush off his line and claim the loose ball. As Karius tried to roll the ball out, the striker cleverly stuck out his foot to intercept. The ball duly rolled into the net for a fortuitous opener.

As Liverpool grabbed a quickfire equaliser from a routine corner, the game became much more open. At this stage, Zinedine Zidane opted to introduce Gareth Bale for the ineffective Isco. Bale took up the attacking right midfield role, as Madrid converted into their more familiar 4-3-3 shape. Bale’s directness in possession, with additional forward runs from Benzema and Ronaldo, created an effective transitional attack for Madrid.

If Madrid’s first goal was a fluke, their second was nothing of the sort. A cutback cross from Marcelo found Bale on the edge of the penalty area. Despite an awkward cross, Bale improvised with an exquisitely timed overhead kick that looped over the desperate dive of Karius.

As Madrid continued to dominate the ball in the second half, the Liverpool midfield waned. Bale capitalised on the space in the centre of the park to score his second of the evening, as Karius spilled the Welshman’s long-range effort into the goal. In full control, Real comfortably held on to win their third consecutive Champions League trophy.