Real Madrid to face Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final
After beating Atletico Madrid over two legs, Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid march into their second consecutive Champions League final, this time facing Juventus in Cardiff.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo gestures to the crowd after the Champions League semi-final between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on May 10, 2017.
The two football giants Real Madrid and Juventus are due to battle it out in Cardiff in the upcoming Champions League final. After beating arch-rivals Atletico Madrid, this will be Real Madrid's second consecutive Champions League final.
Despite losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the semi-final, Real withstood the onslaught and sealed a 4-2 victory on aggregate on Wednesday.
Real Madrid's mentor, Zinedine Zidane, once played for Juventus but later in 2001 joined Real. He lauded the efforts of Juventus to reach the finale, saying they "deserved" it but maintained he will have no divided loyalties.
This will be the 19th European Cup meeting for the two sides and with eight wins each, the competition looks tough.
No team has ever won back-to-back titles in the Champions League.
On one side you have Real, the 11-time Champions, looking to break the holder's curse, and on the other, the Italian champions, Juventus, who've become the masters of defence and attack and who are looking forward to winning their first European title over 20 years.
With one of the world's best forwards, Cristiano Ronaldo, against the best goalkeeper in world, Gianluigi Buffon, the finale should be a treat to watch.
TRTWorld's Samantha Johnson has more.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.