Cristiano Ronaldo did it again for Real Madrid, stepping forward to score a penalty and inflict another devastating loss in a Champions League final on rival Atletico Madrid.
For the second time in three finals, the biggest game in club soccer ended with Ronaldo sealing the victory.
Ronaldo’s decisive spot kick in the shootout gave Real Madrid a 5-3 victory on penalties, following a 1-1 draw after extra time in Saturday’s final.
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Two years ago, the Portuguese superstar’s penalty had sealed a 4-1 extra-time win over Atletico and prompted the first of his provocative celebrations.
“I knew I was going to score the winning penalty. I was confident,” said Ronaldo, who won his third Champions League title. “I asked [coach Zinedine] Zidane to let me take the last penalty.”
Rising to the dramatic moment after a quiet game for him, Ronaldo sent goalkeeper Jan Oblak the wrong way seconds after Atletico defender Juanfran had struck a post with his team’s fourth kick.
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Real Madrid got its record-extending 11th European title and left Atletico with a bitter third loss in the continent’s biggest game. In its two previous finals, Atletico gave up last-minute equalising goals.
“I don’t believe in injustices,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said in Spanish. “In football, the team that wins deserves to win. They were better during the shootout.”
Simeone said he will consider his future at Atletico, where the combative Argentine has coached for five years.
Zidane has coached for less than five months, yet is already just the seventh man to both coach and play for champion teams in the competition’s 61-year history. The France great, who scored the winning goal for Madrid in the 2002 final, joins an elite group that includes Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola.
“It’s the team of my life. It’s the club that has made me the biggest in everything,” Zidane said in Spanish. He lost two finals playing for Juventus, including in 1998 against Madrid.
Just like the 2014 final, a Madrid derby finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. This time, it was Real Madrid instead of Atletico that conceded a late equaliser.