Liverpool hope's of an incredible treble were ended on Saturday night as they lost another Champions League final to Real Madrid.
Just as in Kyiv in 2018, it was Madrid who came out on top in the 2022 showpiece in Paris, with Vinicius Junior's second-half strike securing a 1-0 win on the night and the club's 14th European Cup in total.
That means Liverpool will have to settle for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, having also gone close to winning the Premier League.
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah change needed as free transfer question emerges for Jurgen Klopp
READ MORE: Liverpool defeated by destiny as Champions League final becomes sideshow to UEFA disgrace
Here is what the Spanish media made of Madrid's triumph.
Louis Grandson, via AS
“The event will have a place in posterity as heroic, inexplicable, paranormal or supernatural. Or not so much if we talk about Madrid, 14 times European champion in 67 editions (one in five) and in six different decades. An imperishable legend. A winner from the first to the last day in a competition of which he feels founder and protector. A triumph junkie who did not win any of his cups for bringing together a great generation, who also, but educated each generation, regardless of their quality, in victory: Di Stéfano, the Yeyés, the Garcías, the Buitre fifths and of the Ferraris and the long saga that started in Cristiano and inherited Benzema.
“Different soccer players with identical demands. In Paris he liquidated Liverpool, the last skyscraper, with a goalkeeper for the legend, Courtois, and with an irreducible troublemaker, Vinicius. Only Bayern was missing to lift the five-point cup. With four, it will be the most valuable ever. The merit of this team is that their faith was even above that of their fans, which is saying something.
“The party came from behind. An organisational blunder caused the total collapse of the Liverpool fans' access area and the start had to be delayed for more than half an hour. UEFA owes an explanation. That forced a double warm-up of the teams and cooled down the stands. The final deserved something else.”
Christina Cubero, via Mundo Deportivo
“Real Madrid won their fourteenth Champions League, 'La 14', against Liverpool with a solitary goal from Vinicius in the 58th minute and after an authentic recital from Thibaut Courtois . The Belgian had proclaimed in the preview that he was "on the good side of history", the reality is that he wrote the history of the final with five extraordinary saves to Salah and Mané .
“Courtois enlarged his figure, became lofty, dominated his area with overwhelming confidence, and spread calm to his defence. Every ball that Salah cleared was a message to his team. Each save was confirmation that Real Madrid doesn't play the finals, it wins them. Because Courtois is there to win them. He will not be able to be at his brother's wedding because he has to celebrate one more title. And this one he won.
“Real Madrid conquered 'La 14' with a goal from Vinicius , the player who is called to be the Mbappé who never arrived. The play came from the feet of that boar that is Valverde , a footballer with lungs and heart, Benzema let it pass and the Brazilian entered the glory with the fourth goal in 13 games in the competition. Vinicius covered his face crying.”
Francesc J GImeno, via Sport
“Real Madrid performed a new miracle in the Champions League and lifted the 'Orejona' for the fourteenth time thanks to a stellar performance by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who ended up becoming a nightmare for Liverpool's forwards. The 'reds' crashed again and again against the Belgian, while the madridista team was satisfied with an isolated play by Fede Valverde that Vinicius culminated in, in the whites' only shot between the three posts during the 90 minutes, to prevail over a Liverpool that had been clearly superior.
“Real Madrid came into the break alive thanks to Courtois, although the first half could have ended with a victory for the Whites in a plot twist that would not have surprised anyone, given the background with which Ancelotti's team entered the final. The VAR got in the way, which unexpectedly validated the referee's decision to annul Benzema's goal in the 43rd minute for offside after more than three minutes of uncertainty.
“But let's go by parts. The first half was a 'network' monologue in which Real Madrid played a secondary role. The ball was mostly Jürgen Klopp's team, as were the occasions, although in these cases Courtois usually appears. It was no different this time.”
“Carlo Ancelotti arrived back at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the summer with a clear brief, keep the season respectable until Kylian Mbappe could be signed in the summer of 2022, yet he has ended the campaign by winning both LaLiga Santander and the Champions League.
“Real Madrid have lived a charmed life in Europe this season, but they saved perhaps their best defensive performance for the most important match of the campaign. Liverpool arrived into Paris as the heavy favourites, yet as difficulties outside the ground engulfed the Reds' travelling support, it was a sign of disappointment to come for Jurgen Klopp's charges.
“The Premier League giants failed to find their usual rhythm, despite controlling much of the ball and creating chances at Thibaut Courtois' goal.”
