It took nearly an hour, but it was Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. who opened the scoring on Saturday in the UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool, putting home a ball from Federico Valverde with a confident back-post finish in the 59th minute. The goal came an an opportune moment for Los Blancos as Liverpool had been the sharper, more creative team in the opening half. It would ultimately seal a narrow 1-0 win and give Real Madrid their record 14th UCL title.
VINICIUS JR. BREAKTHROUGH FOR REAL MADRID. 💥 pic.twitter.com/GVzH0BsgvZ
— Champions League final on CBS & Paramount+ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 28, 2022
Liverpool hit the post in the opening session, but a strong performance from Thibaut Courtois kept things level at the break before Real's first good chance in the second half resulted in the goal. Valverde marched down the right with the ball and got it to the back post with an effort that almost looked like an errant shot, but Vinicius Jr. was there to bury it with Alisson not in optimal position to make a stop.
