Brilliant Bale breaks Liverpool hearts as Real Madrid win Champions League

Mohamed Salah will be sidelined for two months by the shoulder injury he sustained during Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid and miss Egypt’s World Cup campaign, according to Saudi Arabian sports administrator Turki Al-Sheikh.

Bale scored four times in three games in the lead up to the final, including his first goal in a Clasico against Barcelona for four years, to make the strongest case possible to Zidane for a start in Kiev.

Not since the Real Madrid team of 1959/60 has a club had so many collective winners’ medals, that side had a collection which went up to 80, something which the current crop could quite conceivably surpass with glory in Madrid in the 2018/19 season.

Ramos will no doubt receive plenty of questions as to his role in Salah’s injury as the Spanish defender made sure Liverpool’s main man hit the floor hard and locked his right arm in during the duel. No. Karius always looks like he has a mistake in him, and that cost them dearly on Saturday night.

Ronaldo, who is Real’s all-time top scorer, was asked to clarify his comments but continued to give ambiguous answers. “I don’t know why he has said that, but we respect him”.

Real had their own injury blow with right-back Dani Carvajal having to go off, replaced by Nacho in the 37th, and ended the half with Benzema’s effort being disallowed for offside after Cristiano Ronaldo’s header was saved by Karius.

Confounding doubters, including coach Zinedine Zidane, Bale sealed Madrid’s record-extending 13th European title with his second goal – a long-range strike that owed much to Loris Karius’ second calamity of the game in Kiev’s Olympic Stadium.

Then star forward Mohamed Salah’s left shoulder appeared injured when he was dragged to the ground in a tangling fall with wily Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

‘I didn’t want to say that, but I’m not sorry either.

“Of course it was a little shock to the team”, Klopp said.

“But what I wish is he wouldn’t play against our team during that match [at the World Cup]”. We’ve seen this all before from Real Madrid. As well as a new keeper, they clearly need to improve their strength in depth, but there are still plenty of reasons to be positive, and this defeat does not change that.