Real Madrid win the Champions League or the European Cup for record breaking 14th time.

Real Madrid win the Champions League or the European Cup for record breaking 14th time.

In the end it was all about one team and one team only. On reflection this should have been a celebration of both Liverpool and Real Madrid. But when the referee blew the final whistle last night in Paris there was only one reason to do the tango. Real Madrid, surely one of the greatest club sides in both Europe and quite possibly the world, won their record breaking 14th European Cup or in its new currency the Champions League.

They did so at the expense of a Liverpool side who themselves were striving to win the same competition a record seven times and British football would have acclaimed this remarkable achievement over and over again for many years. But this was perhaps a game too far for the relentless goal scoring machine that Liverpool have now become. Still, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley must have been somewhere in the palatial decor of the Stade De France stadium in Paris, red and white scarves around their necks. 

It has now been 41 years since Liverpool last beat Real Madrid in Paris and the coincidence could not have been lost on any of the vast gathering of English and Spanish supporters. That evening full back Alan Kennedy had broken forward into the attack, overlapping admirably on the inside of the Madrid defence before firing low past the Madrid keeper. Both teams since then have  won honours galore on both domestic and international fronts and it's a testament to both side's attacking prowess that even last night they still had it in them to deliver the goods on the night. 

Of course it's been well documented by now that Real Madrid have more or less bluffed and blagged their way to this season's Champions League Final. In their semi final with new Premier League champions Manchester City they rode their luck, coming desperately close to going out of the competition. Chelsea did much the same in many ways and still came unstuck to the much decorated and lauded team from the Bernabeu.

There are those who still treasure the night in 1960 when Real Madrid produced perhaps the purest exhibition of attacking football ever seen in any major football Final anywhere. In a mesmeric 10 goal thriller against Eintracht Frankfurt, Alfredo Di Stefano and company, Real Madrid literally ridiculed and lampooned their German opponents with goals of the most wondrous quality. The 7-3 victory for Madrid in Glasgow was more or less the benchmark, a lasting template in how the game should be played.

Since then fortunes have waned and waxed for both Liverpool and Madrid. In 1977 Liverpool, with Steve Heighway in pulverising, explosive form on the wing, Terry Mcdermott and Ray Kennedy all shining translucently for the Anfield side, Liverpool won their first ever European Cup in Rome. At the old Wembley a year later Kenny Dalglish squeezed behind a backtracking Bruges side and angled his shot past the Belgian goalkeeper. He also leapt over the advertising hoardings, a model of athleticism. Liverpool win the European Cup again.

In 1984 Liverpool once again featured in a moderately satisfying European Cup Final against Roma of Italy. A closely contested final fizzled out anti climactically. The game went to penalties and was notable for the eccentric antics of Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar. Grobbelaar, standing on his goal line started wobbling his legs in the most blatant and obviously illegal pieces of gamesmanship. But concessions were made and Liverpool went on to win the penalty shoot out. 

In more recent years Liverpool staged an astonishing comeback against Inter Milan in the 2005 Final when they found themselves three goals behind and, seemingly, out for the count at half time. In the second half they stormed back into the match with three goals of their own. Liverpool were victorious on penalties. 

Last night though with the spectacular bicycle kick winner from Gareth Bale for Madrid still fresh on everybody's minds, the neutral observers were looking for something pretty special again. Liverpool were still licking their wounds after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City although they could still seek solace in an FA Cup Final victory over Chelsea. Sometimes football can indeed work in many mysterious ways even if Cup Finals can still be decided on penalties.

But although there were neither favourites or underdogs in last night's contest, you had to fancy a Liverpool team who have overcome all manner of psychological obstacles in their way. Their football has been almost poetically compelling, a fusion of sublime subtlety, tactical brilliance and exquisitely spontaneous one touch football from back to front. The form of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and the recent delicacies offered by Luis Diaz have given Liverpool that familiar air of impassable invincibility.

It used to be the case that Liverpool could go through a season wearing blinkers and still remain unbeatable in their formidable Anfield fortress. Bill Shankly once scared the life out of West Ham in the Anfield tunnel when he convinced his Liverpool players that Bobby Moore was trembling with fear at the prospect of meeting Liverpool at the height of their powers. But Shanks always did know a thing or two about kidology and besides nobody argued with the memorable Bill Shankly. 

And yet yesterday evening Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool's amusingly enthusiastic German manager, stared somewhat mournfully and sadly at the end of this scintillating Champions League Final. Essentially Liverpool hadn't disgraced themselves at all since Champions League Finals don't come along that frequently for those who can only long to emulate Liverpool's glorious European victories. Klopp referred to his team as the heavy metal monsters and, on any other night Liverpool would have frightened the life out of lesser mortals.

Liverpool started positively and adventurously. The back four of Ibrahima Konate, splendid captain Virgil Van Djik, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold were firing on all cylinders. They kept the ball jealously for long periods of the first half hour without really threatening the Madrid goal. Sane hit the post for Liverpool, a salutary warning to Real Madrid that traditions can be broken and even Madrid are flawed and vulnerable. There were spells of handsome football from the Premier League side but somehow they'd forgotten their lines completely and there was an incoherence about the team in red. 

As the match progressed and the longer the game went on the more inclined you were to think that Madrid would inch their way back into the game, thus nullifying Liverpool's supremacy. And to think Real Madrid were perhaps the luckiest team in the world to get as far as this Champions League Final. The utterly dominant likes of David Alaba, Toni Kroos and the always sophisticated Luka Modric gave the Spanish a secure platform from which to launch their superbly constructed attacking movements.

At the back Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao and the magnificent Thibaut Courtois in goal for Real Madrid cancelled out the intelligent promptings of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. There were some entertaining moments from Andy Robertson and at times Thiago looked irresistible for Liverpool. Then Diaz and Sadio Mane began to run out of steam for the Liverpool attacking battalions. Liverpool were now burnt out and ready to hit the cliched beach. 

Then during an intriguing battle of wits, Madrid began to find their bearings and the second half seemed to turn against Liverpool. After a lightning quick break from the Spanish side, the ball came out to Federico Valeverde. Valeverde, always a threat and troublesome, drove a sumptuous low ball to the feet of Brazilian wonderkid Vinicius Junior who took the ball in his stride and Junior tapped the ball into the Liverpool net simply as if he'd performed the same act a thousand times.

Real Madrid, who thought they might have opened the scoring before half time when Karim Benzema trapped a high diagonal ball onto his feet quite stunningly, switched feet instantly before clipping the ball across the Liverpool six yard box. Then there were a series of defensive comedy of errors where Liverpool simply lost the ball and Benzema thrashed the ball into the net for Madrid. Fortunately for Liverpool, Benzema was eventually deemed offside after much cinema watching from the referee. VAR did come to Klopp's side temporary rescue but the joy was short lived. 

And so it was that Real Madrid waltzed elegantly into a Parisian night of champagne quaffing and the finest bottle of rouge from the vineyards. It was hard to know what was going through the mind of Carlo Ancelotti who still looked slightly dumbfounded and shocked at the proceedings. Italians are traditionally demonstrative but Ancelotti still gave you the impression of a man for whom even a gentle joke wouldn't have cracked his impassive face.  Liverpool, for their part, can still feel immensely proud of their contributions and Cups even though the Champions League had slipped from their grasp. To Jurgen Klopp, many thank yous. Liverpool have been a credit to the Premier League. May this never be forgotten.