HistoryData
general2018

2018 UEFA Champions League Final — association football match at NSC Olimpiyskyi during 2017–18 UEFA Champions League with score 3:1

May 26, 2018

Real Madrid's 3–1 victory over Liverpool made them the first club to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles in the modern era.

Quick Facts

Year
2018
Category
general

Key Facts

Final score
Real Madrid 3–1 Liverpool
Venue
NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv, Ukraine
Man of the match
Gareth Bale (2 goals)
Real Madrid European Cups
13th title overall
Consecutive CL titles
3 back-to-back (2016, 2017, 2018)
Liverpool's final appearance
8th final, first since 2007

By the Numbers

3
Final score
2
Man of the match
13
Real Madrid European Cups
3
Consecutive CL titles

Location

Map of Kyiv, UkraineMap of Kyiv, UkraineKyiv, Ukraine

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

Real Madrid entered the 2018 UEFA Champions League final as defending champions having won the previous two editions, while Liverpool qualified for their first final since 2007. The two clubs had previously met in the 1981 European Cup final, adding historical context to the rematch in Kyiv.

Event

Played on 26 May 2018 at NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv, the final saw Karim Benzema open the scoring before Sadio Mané equalised for Liverpool. Substitute Gareth Bale then scored twice, including a spectacular overhead kick, to give Real Madrid a 3–1 victory and the man-of-the-match award.

Consequence

The victory made Real Madrid the first club to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles and the first to win back-to-back European Cups since Bayern Munich in 1976. It was their 13th European title and fourth in five seasons. They subsequently lost the 2018 UEFA Super Cup to Atlético Madrid but won the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.

Timeline Context

Timeline around 201820182015201620172019202020212018 FIFA World Cup — 21st FIFA World Cup, held in Russia2018 Winter Olympics — 23rd edition of Winter Olympics, in Pyeongchang, South Korea2018 Asian Games — 18th edition of the Asian Games2018–19 UEFA Nations League — 2018–2019 edition of the UEFA Nations League2018 Formula One World Championship — 69th season of Formula One motor racingJanuary 2018 — month of 20182018–19 UEFA Europa League — 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA2018 Summer Youth Olympics — 2018 edition of the Summer Youth Olympics2018-uefa-champions-league-final-association-football-matc-2018