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Story highlights
Real Madrid wins Champions League
Real beats city rivals Atletico 4-1 in final in Lisbon
Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo score in extra time for Real
Atletico led through Diego Godin before Sergio Ramos equalized
Three quickfire goals in extra time gave Real Madrid a 4-1 win over city rivals Atletico in Lisbon Saturday to win the European Champions League for the 10th time.
Diego Godin put Atletico ahead in the 36th minute and it took an injury time equalizer from Sergio Ramos to rescue Real and force the extra half hour.
Atletico held out until the second half of the added time until Gareth Bale headed Real ahead after superb work by Angel Di Maria.
Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, with a penalty, his record 17th goal in the Champions League this season, rubbed salt into the wound for Atletico, who had been bidding for a La Liga/Champions League double.
Coach Diego Simeone, unhappy at the added minutes in regulation play, summed up their frustration as he ran on to the pitch to confront Real’s Raphael Varane after the final goal and had to be restrained by stewards.
It was a sorry end to a magnificent season for Los Rojiblancos, but ultimately the quality of Real, epitomized by the world’s most expensive player Bale, which prevailed.
It was the Welshman’s 22nd goal of the season and sixth in the Champions League but surely the most important of his career.
“This is what every footballer dreams of and it doesn’t come any bigger than that,” the Welshman told Sky Sports after his side’s triumph.
For Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti it was his third Champions League triumph as a coach, equaling the record of Liverpool’s Bob Paisley.
His counterpart Simeone had gambled on the fitness of his star striker Diego Costa, who has been hampered by a hamstring injury, but it backfired when the Spanish international limped off after nine minutes.
He was replaced by Adrian Lopez but Atletico initially took his departure in its stride, frustrating Real’s attacking menace in a scrappy first half.
It came to life in a passage of play which first saw Bale poke an effort wide of the post after running through the Atletico defense.
Read: Atletico wins La Liga title
The Real fans in the Stadium of Light looked skywards in disbelief but they were soon in total despair after a mistake by Spanish international goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Real failed to clear a corner which was lifted back into the area and Uruguay’s Godin beat the onrushing Casillas to the ball to score with a flicked header.
Casillas desperately scrambled back to make amends for his error of judgment but could not keep the ball out of the net.
World Player of the Year Ronaldo had been kept quiet in the first half but was more prominent after the break, forcing Thibaut Courtois to make a fine save from a free kick then narrowly failing to connect with a header in front of goal.
Read: Real crushes Bayern in semifinals
Bale also started to live up to his price tag, charging through from the right before scuffing his effort wide, while a combination with Ronaldo saw another chance to begging.
But with time running out, Ramos connected perfectly with a Luka Modric corner to add to his two goals from the semifinal win over defending champions Bayern Munich and give his side a precious lifeline, of which it took full advantage.
It was Real’s first Champions League title since 2002 and to the milestone of ‘La Decima” – extending its record number of wins in Europe’s premier club competition.
