MADRID (Dispatches) -  Real Madrid ripped Juventus to shreds with a scintillating second-half display to win their 12th European Cup in Cardiff on Saturday night.
The Italians had largely managed to repel the Spanish champions in the first period, thanks to Massimiliano Allegri's 4-4-2 shape. Their only weak spot seemed to be right-back Andrea Barzagli, who got targeted by Karim Benzema and Isco.
That did not prevent Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring the opener, but Juve responded by equalising with an attack down the left, aware that Madrid's narrow midfield diamond would make it difficult to protect the flanks.
After the interval, Zinedine Zidane upped the tempo and told his players to press more, which overwhelmed Juve. A deflected Casemiro strike was followed by another Ronaldo goal, before a late Marco Asensio finish wrapped up Madrid's first double since 1958.
Juventus made a surprisingly aggressive start, highlighted by a Gonzalo Higuain dribble through the middle. His lashed shot at Keylor Navas’s goal was scrambled up on the second attempt by the Costa Rican goalkeeper.
Navas prevented an early Juventus goal a second time in the sixth minute, when an extended Juve attack pinned Real back and eventually presented Miralem Pjanic with a half-volley. Navas got to it in spite of the speed and spin on the ball.
There was a temerity and a joy to Juve’s play that we’ve not historically expected from Italian teams, especially not in big finals. Paulo Dybala backheel-nutmegging an opponent in his own half, for instance, suggested that for its defensive stoutness Allegri’s Juventus side has evolved into something un-Italian. Something post-Italian, perhaps.
But Real wouldn’t be Real if it didn’t capitalize on its vast experience with high-stakes games like this and convert its one early chance. Ronaldo, defended ever so tightly until then, received the ball outside the box in the 20th minute, hit the overlapping Dani Carvajal on his right and got it back in the pocket between Juve’s lines he opened up by slowing his run.
He slotted his low shot into the far corner, past the sprawling Buffon.
After Ronaldo's opener, Juve grew into the game and moved Mandzukic into the box more often. On 27 minutes, Sandro volleyed a Bonucci diagonal into the area, where Gonzalo Higuain set up a spectacular Mandzukic volley that arched over Navas and into the net.
After that goal, Juve continued to dominate, and Sandro soon went past Isco to win a corner. Things did not look any brighter for Madrid when Carvajal got booked for going in late on Mandzukic. The Italians created less after the break, but Sandro remained one of their best weapons, and most of their crosses took place down his flank.
Down the other end, Madrid targeted the ageing Barzagli. Zidane started off by moving Benzema out wide in order to skip past him and, inside six minutes, the Frenchman had already had three attempts. Neither succeeded.
Instead Madrid figured out that Barzagli struggled more when forced to run towards his own goal. Soon Isco ran onto a long ball behind him and set up a misdirected Ronaldo diving header. Just after the break, Marcelo lofted two passes above Barzagli in quick succession: one released Ronaldo, another found Isco, who was only denied by a surgical Barzagli intervention.
This must have concerned Allegri and, when the coach responded to going 3-1 down, it was Barzagli who came off for Juan Cuadrado.
As all this happened, Madrid were putting Juve under pressure. They pressed higher and more aggressively in the second half, forcing dangerous turnovers and denying Juve time to play their way out. Within 15 minutes, Modric, Isco and Marcelo had all recorded attempts.
As it was, the second goal came when a blocked Kroos shot fell to Casemiro, whose deflected strike spun past Gianluigi Buffon. It was lucky, but also a reward for Madrid's dominance.
At that point Allegri wanted a strong response, but Madrid kept pressing. Their third goal, on 64 minutes, came when Modric intercepted a ball high up the pitch -- denoting their approach in the second half -- ran down the line and found Ronaldo at the near post.
"They raised the tempo, as we were the ones pushing Real Madrid back in the first half," Allegri said. "But in the second we couldn't play our way out of defence and they kept pushing us back."
Juve never really responded. Allegri introduced Cuadrado, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Lemina, but Cuadrado got sent off, and the Italians only recorded a single effort in the entire half. Instead substitute Asensio made it 4-1 to seal Madrid's third Champions League title in four years.
***Real are champions of Europe for a record 12th time.