REAL MADRID have won their 15th Champions League title, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley in front of 86,000 people. As with all Real finals, the narrative was all about the Spanish giants adding another medal to their already impressive list of honours, but for a long time, Dortmund severely tested the favourites. The German side had the best chances of the first half, with Adeyemi and Füllkrug going close to opening the scoring. Even after the break, which the pundits forecast would see a Real onslaught, Dortmund were more than holding their own. For all the good work by Edin Terzic’s side, there was a sense of inevitability about the outcome. Real went ahead in the 74th minute when Carvajal headed home from a corner. From thereon, it did seem as though Dortmund had spurned their chance to take control earlier in the evening. Goalkeeper Kobel pulled off some exceptional saves as Real tried to kill the game, notably from Kroos, Camavinga and Nacho. They did just that in the 83rd minute when a dreadful mistake by Maatsen allowed Bellingham to set-up Vinícius, who scuffed his shot past Kobel to clinch victory. While Real showed, once more, they are the club for the big occasion, Dortmund can be proud of their performance in what was a compelling final.
WEMBLEY stadium was left red-faced by events at the Champions league final. There was considerable talk before the game about the enhanced security employed by Wembley to avoid a repeat of the chaos at the EURO 2020 final in 2021. However, as the teams kicked off, five pitch invaders ran across the field as part of a dare promoted by a Belarusian blogger called Mellstroy. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Police said 53 arrests were made during the final, most of which were for attempted security breaches.
JOSÉ Mourinho is returning to football management with Turkish club Fenerbahçe just five months after leaving his last job at Roma. While the 61 year-old has had bigger jobs, he will be moving to a huge club in Turkey that is used to winning major trophies. They also have tremendous support and averaged 38,000 at their home games in 2023-24. Fenerbahçe finished runners-up in the Turkish Super Lig, three points behind Istanbul rivals Galatasaray and reached the last eight of the UEFA Europa Conference League, losing to eventual winners Olympiacos. Some well known names turned out for the club last season, including Edin Džeko, Fred, Michy Batshuayi and Leonardo Bonucci.
THE takeover of Everton by US investment firm 777 Partners looks like a dead deal after the deadline for the sale of the club expired. In recent weeks, there has been a lot of negative publicity about 777 and doubts have surfaced about the financial health of the company. The Premier League demanded proof that 777 could pay off a £ 158 million loan owed to MSP Sports Capital and also wanted 777 to convert a US$ 200 million loan to Everton into equity. The Everton Advisory Board considers 777 to be unsuitable owners. The club insists that it is financially stable and claims there will not be a fire sale in the summer. Everton’s new stadium is due to open at the start of 2025-26, but the cost of the project has shot up from £ 500 million to £ 7560 million.
KYLIAN Mbappé has agreed a deal with Real Madrid as his long-awaited move to Spain from Paris Saint-Germain finally becomes reality. Mbappe leaves PSG on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of June. His arrangements with Real incluee a five-year contract at € 15 million per season as well as a € 150 million signing-on fee paid over the five years. The 25 year-old played 308 games for PSG, scoring 256 goals.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 