By Our Special Correspondent
Real Madrid became European champions for a record-extending 14th time after beating Liverpool 1-0 in a Champions League final that started 37 minutes late because of disturbing crowd issues outside the Stade de France near Paris.
Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr. converted a Liverpool goal from Federico Valverde's drive in the 59th minute to give Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti a record fourth European Cup title.
While Madrid has completed a double in the Champions League-La Liga, Liverpool has ended a very promising season. One week ago, it was competing for an unprecedented four-time major trophy with two domestic cups in England.
The English team was unable to cross Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who flipped Sadio Mane's first-half shot over the post and saved even better in the 81st minute to repel Mohamed Salah's attempt.
Vinicius sank to his knees and covered his face the whole time. Many of his teammates would run across the field to celebrate in front of Madrid fans at one end of the stadium.
Marcelo, the Madrid serial winner of trophies who did not play a single minute in Saturday's final, had the honor of lifting the trophy in the wake of fireworks and ticker tapes.
Madrid has cemented its status as the king of European football, given the Spanish giant owns double the number of European Cups as the No. 2 on the list, AC Milan. Liverpool stayed on six.
With 45 minutes left before the kickoff, Liverpool fans still have long queues to be allowed into the stadium. There have also been instances where fans have breached security and stormed the concourse.
Officers with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent pockets of fans from forcing their way into the stadium without showing tickets.
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