Real Madrid’s celebrations had barely got into second gear when Cristiano Ronaldo ensured he would have the limelight.
Unusually for Ronaldo, the 2018 Champions League final was a game in which he failed to be the big story. The 3-1 victory in Kyiv is rightly remembered for Gareth Bale’s iconic bicycle kick and Loris Karius’ night to forget.
The Reds were already looking the underdogs, with Los Blancos chasing an unprecedented third European Cup on the spin. And that was before Karius gifted Karim Benzema an opener and then failed to make a routine save from Bale in the closing stages.
