“The Champions League should be called the CR7 Champions League”

PS Here’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s wonderfully absurd reaction to Real’s victory, as published by Marca.

Who was the top scorer once again? The Champions League should change and be called the CR7 Champions League. I have won five and I am the top goalscorer again, so I cannot be sad.

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That’s about it for tonight’s blog. It’s been a tough night for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp wanted them to play brave, big balls football – and they did, dominating the match until Mo Salah’s heartbreaking injury after half an hour. That changed the mood of the match, and then poor Loris Karius made a big, big balls of the second half to give away two goals either side of Gareth Bale’s staggering overhead kick.

Congratulations to Real, commiserations to Liverpool. I’ll leave you with Daniel Taylor’s match report. Thanks for your company; goodnight.

Here are Andy Hunter’s player ratings from Kiev. Friends of Loris Karius, look away now.

“If anyone has the charisma, principles and work ethic to keep the Liverpool side together in the face of adversity it’s Klopp,” says Alex Yeandle. “Through bad luck he has ended up trophy-less this evening, but he’s got the confidence to inspire the Liverpool team into great things. This is only the beginning.”

Sometimes endings are disguised as beginnings. The start of next season is so important for Liverpool.

Here’s Zinedine Zidane “To win three CL trophies with this club is magnificent. It’s an unbelievable feeling, and we don’t quite realise what we have achieved yet. Gareth’s goal was magnificent, congratulations to him. [Was it better than yours, baldy?] It’s not the same thing, but this is just the latest one that we’ve witnessed. [Can you win four in a row?] We’ll enjoy the moment first, we had a complicated season but this makes us really happy.”

In case your’ve been watching repeats of Dawson’s Creek all night, here’s the short story of the match:

• 30 min: Mo Salah left the field in tears with a dislocated shoulder.
  
• 51 min: Karim Benzema gave Real the lead after a staggering mistake from the goalkeeper Lorus Karius.
  
• 55 min: Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s best player, grabbed an instant equaliser from Dejan Lovren’s header.
  
• 64 min: Gareth Bale, just on as a substitute, gave Real the lead with an astonishing overhead kick from 15 yards.
  
• 70 min: Mane hit the post from 20 yards.
  
• 83 min: Bale scored his second with the help of another hideous howler from Karius.

Here’s Jurgen Klopp “How couldn’t I feel for the players? There isn’t a lot to say: we started well and played exactly as we wanted to play. The situation with Ramos and Mo – that looks really bad, and it was a shock for the team. We lost our positive momentum. Half-time, came in, and then what can I say about the goals. We scored one, they scored three, that’s the result.

“Mo’s World Cup place is in doubt. He would have played on if he could. I think he’s in hospital at the moment having an X-ray. It doesn’t look good.

“What can I say? Loris knows it, everybody knows it. It’s a shame in a game like this and after a season like this. I really feel for him; he’s a fantastic boy. I think the second mistake is because of the first one. It’s really difficult to get rid of the bad thoughts in your mind.

“Bale’s goal was unbelievable. We did what we could, the boys tried everything. It was not the best script for us tonight. I know [we had a great campaign] but I can’t feel it. You go to a final to win it, and if you don’t you feel like you failed. It was a proper chance for us tonight and we didn’t take it. There’s nothing else to say.”

Jurgen Klopp is due to Whatsapp me any minute now. As soon as he does, I’ll let you know his thoughts.

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There’s no more news on Mo Salah. The early diagnosis was a dislocated shoulder, which would make him almost certain to miss the World Cup. For such a joyous thing, sport can be savagely cruel sometimes.

Luka Modric speaks! “To win it twice was amazing; this is historic. We watched a movie yesterday about basketball teams who won competitions three or four times in a row, and they called it a dynasty. Now we can call this a dynasty. I don’t think anyone will repeat this achievement.”

Rio Ferdinand, on BT Sport, thinks Bale’s goal is the best he‘s ever seen live. Zinedine Zidane’s reaction was marvellous, and reminiscent of Rinus Michels staggering around in disbelief when Marco van Basten scored that volley against USSR in the Euro 88 final.

“If anybody has earned a raise at Real Madrid,” writes Asgeir Ingolfsson, “it‘s whoever is making those goalkeeper voodoo-dolls of their opponents: Buffon, Ulreich and now Karius.”

“At what point,” writes Alex Netherton, “do we have to admit that Zidane is a palpably better manager than Pep Guardiola?”

Jordan Henderson speaks. The poor bloke is miles away “It’s disappointing of course. We did well to get the goal and get back in the game, but we made mistakes and Madrid were really good. They were the better team. I felt we dominated in the first 30 minutes. It’s frustrating.

“When Mo got injured they started to dominate the ball more. I’m not really sure what happened with the first goal or whether it should have been allowed. It’s not about Loris Karius and the mistakes he might have made; it’s about the team. I’m so proud of the players and the fans. I hope we can keep going and get into more finals.”

“Really, this is the kind of a performance which finishes careers,” says Shom Biswas. “Goalkeeping yips. I sincerely hope Karius can come back to any level of football after this.”

I don’t think it’ll be that bad but I doubt he’ll play for Liverpool again.

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• 30 min: Mo Salah left the field in tears with a dislocated shoulder.
  
• 51 min: Karim Benzema gave Real the lead after a staggering mistake from the goalkeeper Lorus Karius.
  
• 55 min: Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s best player, grabbed an instant equaliser from Dejan Lovren’s header.
  
• 64 min: Gareth Bale, just on as a substitute, gave Real the lead with an astonishing overhead kick from 15 yards.
  
• 70 min: Mane hit the post from 20 yards.
  
• 83 min: Bale scored his second with the help of another hideous howler from Karius.
  

“Vamos!” shouts Ramos as he kisses his medal. Real are ready for the annual ritual of lifting the Champions League trophy, and Sergio Ramos drags it above his head to enormous cheers. They’ve done it again, again.

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Here’s Danny Taylor’s live match report from an emotional, slightly bizarre night in Kiev

Now it’s Real’s turn. Zinedine Zidane has been playing a game for the last few months: Champions League or P45. He’s usually pretty inscrutable but he’s currently smiling like that old couple in Mulholland Drive. He has been a manager three seasons, and he has won the Champions League three times. What the hell kind of record is that?

The Real players give Liverpool a guard of honour as they walk up to receive their medals. The defeat is something they can get over; the manner of it will gnaw at them for a long time.

Loris Karius walks up to the Liverpool fans, crying his eyes out as he lifts his hands in apology. The Liverpool fans applaud him empathetically.

Here’s our snap match report from Kiev

Gareth Bale speaks “Obviously very disappointed not to start the game, so the best I couild do was come on and make an impact – and that’s what I did. It has to be the best goal I’ve ever scored. Just happy to get the win. We know what we’ve achieved and how good we’ve been. We let everyone else speak, we know how hungry and determined we are and we showed it again today.

“[On a possible return to the Premier League] I need to be playing week-in week-out and that hasn’t happened this season for one reason or another. I have to sit down in the summer and discuss my future with my agent and take it from there.”

Jurgen Klopp is walking around consoling his players, looking a bit dazed after losing a sixth consecutive final. There is so much for him to take in, not least thoughts of the parallel universe in which Mo Salah did not go off injured. Liverpool were excellent until then.

Karius is covering his face with his shirt. “That’s for life now, for him,” says Frank Lampard on BT Sport. “On a human level you have to feel for him.”

Real Madrid become the first team since Bayern Munich in the mid-1970s to win three consecutive European Cups. Karius is broken, face down on the pitch. Dejan Lovren has dissolved in tears and is being consoled by one of the Real players, Kovacic I think. Bale goes over to console Karius, whose Liverpool career is probably over. We thought Gareth Bale’s Madrid career was over, but bloody hell he gave it a kiss of life tonight.

Full time: Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool That’s it! Real retain their trophy with an ultimately comfortable victory in a bizarre final that will be remembered for many things: Mo Salah’s heartbreaking injury, Gareth Bale’s outrageous overhead kick, and most of all two unthinkable howlers from Loris Karius.

90+3 min Ronaldo breaks through on goal, at which point a fan charges onto the field and is wrestled to the ground in the penalty area by two stewards. That was was astonishing.

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90 min For much of the season, Real Madrid have been a bit of a shambles. They’re about to win the Champions League for the third consecutive season. And actually, they have been much the better team overall tonight. Liverpool were superb until Salah’s injury shattered their morale.

89 min “Where’s Barry Davies to say ‘Oh. Loris Karius’?” asks Adam Roberts.

88 min Real make another change, with Marco Asensio replacing Karim Benzema.

86 min We usually get lost in the moment, which leads to hyperbole, but this really does feel like one of the most infamous goalkeeping performances of all time. Jurgen Klopp’s faith in Loris Karius has cost him in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.

85 min Bale, on a hat-trick as a substitute, surges thrillingly clear from the halfway line and is denied by a wonderful last-man tackle from Lovren.

Bale cut inside from the right and hit a dipping shot from 30 yards that was straight down the throat of Karius, who spilled it over his shoulder into the net. It’s an awful mistake. Dear me, this has become the Lorus Karius final.

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Loris Karius has made another hideous mistake and Real Madrid are European champions!

83 min A Liverpool substation: Emre Can replaces James Milner.

82 min Mane is booked for a foul on popular entertainer Sergio Ramos. That was harsh; Ramos knew what he was doing.

82 min Bale waves a majestic pass to Benzema, whose furious volley from 18 yards is beaten away by the flying Karius. It was a good rather than great save. Liverpool can’t get the ball.

81 min “These nuclear takes on Bale’s being best final goal ever have clearly forgotten McManaman’s beautiful shinner vs Valencia and Paul Rideout’s header in 1995,” sniffs Lee Calvert of hit podcast Nessun Dorma.

80 min The good news for Liverpool is that they still look dangerous when they have the ball. The bad news is that they are seeing less and less of the ball. Real’s experience is winning at the moment.

79 min “Last resort,” says Matt Dony. “Bring Hamann on...”

78 min “I’m struggling to think of a better Champions League Final goal than Bale’s,” says Matt Richman. “Zidane’s booklet was from further out, but he had time to watch it drop. Bale had it fizzed at him. I know I’ve seen the worst.”

I think Zidane’s was better - partly because of how far the ball had to drop and also because it felt like genius to order in a way that Bale’s didn’t quite. That said, I wouldn’t have a tantrum and unfriend you for preferring Bale’s.

77 min Liverpool have respondly excellently both times to going behind. If it stays 2-1 they will get another chance.

75 min What do Liverpool do from the bench? Their only realistic options are Solanke and Emre Can. I never thought I’d type this in a European Cup final MBM, but I wonder if Jurgen Klopp will regret not having Danny Ings among the subs.

73 min Firmino appeals for a penalty when his cross hits the elbow of Varane. I don’t think it was. Real break and Robertson makes a glorious last-ditch challenge to deny Ronaldo, who was put through by Casemiro.

71 min Thanks for all the emails, even though I haven’t had chance to read most of them. I swear MBMs weren’t always this manic.

70 min Sadio Mane has been Liverpool’s best attacker by a mile and he almost made it 2-2 there. He danced across the face of the box and hit a low left-footed drive from 20 yards that skimmed across the turf and clattered off the outside of the post.

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69 min Great defending from Ramos! Robertson’s long angled pass from inside his own half bounces dangerously behind Ramos, allowing Mane to burst through on goal. Ramos recovers magnificently to stretch and boot the ball away.

67 min Madrid are all over Liverpool now, and Klopp has few options on the bench. Lallana is nowhere near match fit; I’d be tempted to take him off and bring on Solanke.

65 min That might even have been Bale’s first touch of the game. It’s certainly the defining touch of his career. It was an outrageous goal.

Marcelo, on the left wing, came back onto his right foot and lofted a generic cross into the box. It came at chest height to Bale, who was facing away from goal just inside the area. He launched into a crazily athletic, spidery overhead kick that flew over Karius and into the net. What the hell was that! Even Zidane, who scored the greatest ever Champions League final goal in 2002, reacted with disbelief.

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Oh my goodness, this is a stunning overhead kick!

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63 min “This is weird (but that’s football),” says Hubert O’Hearn. “However, that absolute Comedy Goal was exactly the slap in the face Liverpool needed.”

It really was. If they win, it will be down to Lorus Karius’s incompetence. Football, eh.

62 min Real have switched to 4-3-3, which means the BBC attack are back together. Liverpool’s sexy MFS, alas, were split up after half an hour.

61 min Gareth Bale is getting ready to come on. Real are having loads of the ball now. Nacho’s sharp clow cross finds Isco, whose shot on the turn is pushed behind by the diving Karius. It was going wide anyway but Karius probably didn’t know that. That’s Isco’s last touch: Bale replaces him.

57 min This is more like it. The gloves are off; conceding that goal seemed to wake Liverpool from their slumber. As Glenn Hoddle says, “both teams are playing with emotion”. That suits Liverpool I think.

That Varane header led to the corner which led to the goal. It was lofted very slowly towards the far post, where Lovren beasted Ramos to head the ball down into the six-yard box. Mane reacted quicker than anyone to poke it past Navas from close range.

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Liverpool are level!