The width of the post was all it took to crush not only Atletico Madrid’s dream, but no doubt the dreams of neutral fans watching the UEFA Champions League final everywhere.
No disrespect to Real Madrid, but could there have been a worse result for club football than the Spanish aristocrats winning their 11th European Cup on Sunday?
It’s not like Los Merengues earned it by out-playing their city rivals in an at-times absorbing final.
» Champions League final highlights, live blog
Nor did Real Madrid impress on their way to the decider. They overcame a 2-0 first leg defeat in Wolfsburg to ultimately beat the Germans 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, before needing a Fernando own goal to down Manchester City in their two-legged semi-final.
And they were largely out-played by an Atletico side that saw Antoine Griezmann rattle the crossbar with his penalty barely two minutes in the second half.
Atletico were already 1-0 down thanks to a scrappy Sergio Ramos opener, and it said much for the character of Diego Simeone’s outfit that they managed to equalise through substitute Yannick Carrasco with 11 minutes remaining.
Griezmann will have nightmares about taking penalties for the rest of his career, after the Frenchman smashed his spot-kick against the underside of the bar.
He stepped up in the shoot-out to convert his second spot-kick of the game, and his exasperated reaction suggested he’d have been better off preferring placement over power during normal time.
Sadly for defender Juanfran – who started his career at Real Madrid – his radar was fractionally askew when he sent his penalty crashing into the post.
All that was left was for Cristiano Ronaldo – who else? – to sidefoot home and hand Real Madrid their second Champions League title in three seasons.
And with Barcelona winning it last year, Spanish clubs have now lifted the trophy for the past three years in succession.
Yet Ronaldo’s reaction after slotting home the winning spot-kick hinted at a change in the way the game is played by the biggest clubs in Europe.
Instead of running to his teammates, Ronaldo removed his shirt – naturally – flexed in front of the cameras and seemed largely content to celebrate by himself.
Of course, it’s hardly the first time Ronaldo’s extravagant celebrations have raised eyebrows.
He did almost the same thing after converting a penalty in extra-time of the 2014 Champions League final, and his ‘calma’ celebrations are routinely mocked by fans and players alike.
Then there was Gareth Bale’s infamous photo of the Real Madrid players celebrating a Clasico win over Barcelona earlier this year, with Ronaldo bizarrely clad only in his underwear.
It’s in keeping with a player who appears to think of himself first before any of his teammates.
Yet you can hardly blame him when Real Madrid themselves instituted their infamous ‘galacticos’ policy – a move which has seen them stockpile some of the most talented individuals on the planet.
If ever proof were needed of the way TV money has distorted the European game, simply consider the fact that in James Rodriguez, Real Madrid had the fourth-most expensive signing in history on the bench.
He failed to get on the pitch on Sunday, but Real Madrid will no doubt use the riches earned from their win to snatch up several more big-name stars during the off-season.
And a Champions League which was so dull this season it sparked renewed debate about a European Super League, will invariably become all the more predictable next season.
Coupled with a Championship play-off Final at Wembley played out against the backdrop of tens of thousands of empty seats, football continues its inexorable march towards becoming a predominantly TV game.
It’s one thing to salute the technical standards on display in Europe, but when the same teams dominate year after year, the whole thing gets very tedious.
And on a weekend in which Real Madrid added another trophy to the cabinet, I found myself wondering when the new A-League draw would be released.
Kareem
Guest
Apart from trophies, I wouldn't necessarily exclude Bayern from the top tier...certainly not from Madrid 2 finals, and 3 semifinals in the past 6 years? Not bad! Interestingly Bayern Munich have been their strongest this century whilst this Madrid side aren't even the best Madrid of the century (see galacticos mark 1). Just goes to show how much this dominant Bayern Munich side have ultimately underachieved... But that was the perils of signing a coach like Guardiola, who didn't have the necessary structure required to implement his personal brand of football. Heynkes could have started a dynasty...
Kareem
Guest
More Ronaldo bashing??? Seriously? Have you actually ever watched a penalty shoot-out Let me summarise it for you... The winning penalty taker doesn't run to his team-mates He runs in celebration with his team-mates frantically trying to catch up to him... Eg. Australia 2005 Ronaldo had a more unorthodox approach but it actually made it easier for his team-mates to celebrate with him ;)
Paul
Guest
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pauly
Guest
What would you prefer junior footballers to do when THEY score a goal on a winter's morning in Melbourne or Sydney?
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
A pretty fair assessment.
Gentile
Guest
In the last 8 years, Real Madrid and particularly Barcelona have been in the next tier above teams like PSG, Chelsea, Bayern, Man united and Juventus imo. Besides the year Bayern beat Barcelona 7 nil on aggregate, the teams that have knocked Barcelona out have needed a huge slice of luck to do so ie parked the bus. I agree both Barca and Real dominating is getting boring, however I prefer these 2 clubs winning than those that have sold their soul like PSG, Man city or Chelsea. The demise of Serie A, particularly of the milan clubs have reduced the number of clubs with a realistic chance of winning the UCL. The passionate fans of these clubs are also missed, as those of Liverpool, Feyernord, Marseille and Celtic of late. I think though once Ronaldo and Messi retire both Barcelona and Real will drop down a notch and parity will be restored to pre 2008 days.
Howie
Roar Pro
Seeing as he played less than 20 matches in 6 years for his club (and was a passenger in most of those) that clearly wasn't the problem
Howie
Roar Pro
The second time was inside the box, I think he wanted to give a yellow card but couldn't without giving a penalty.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
It is a very odd piece antoni, I agree. (do most aussies think like this? hope not). Tbh I don't get the blasé tone of this article, why now? Is this Real Madrid more dominant or 'galactic' than 1950's Real with Di Stefano, Puskas and Kopa that won 5 in a row? How about AC Milan in the 1990s with Baresi, Maldini, Rijkaard, Gullit, Van Basten etc? Football has always been like this, great players want to play from the same great clubs who just happen to also be the richest. I get that aussies love their salary-capped, franchise comps (I like them too, for different reasons) thing is many other nations see things differently. Perhaps its possible to enjoy both systems without necessarily bagging one over the other? Perso I like the fact that european club football has been able to occasionally assemble some of the greatest players of their generation in the same teams.
Punter
Guest
Thanks Mid, cannot disagree. Ronaldo does set himself to fall as he is always looking for personal glory, but he is not a loose cannon as many flawed geniuses. I will say Messi is better ball at his feet, I have not seen anyone like him, Messi is a better team mate, but Ronaldo is relentless, he has made himself to be better then Messi & considering Messi is regarded by many as one of the best ever, Ronaldo to compete is something that he is not given credit for.
Mark
Guest
I think the pros outweigh the cons. Arsenal's lack of ambition is a rare case among the big clubs in European football. Also, I don't think removing the Champions League places would make them any more likely to push harder for top spot. If they won't spend the extra money to do it now, when they have the assurance of money for reaching the Champions League if they fall just short, I can't why they would do it if you took that assurance away.
Midfielder
Guest
Mike Sir Alex recently said if he had to choose between Messie and CR he would take CR... in one line he said Messie is good at Barca but CR is good at any club he plays for and with CR in the side lessor clubs win major tournaments... He went a tad further in saying CR had a better all round game, i.e in the air ... huge debate who is the best but their is not that much between them ... Messie is by far the most likeable but thats not the the judgement..
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
I wouldn't say I hate him, Punter. In fact, I actually chatted to him a couple of times at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup and found him to be a surprisingly agreeable bloke. Put simply, though, I just don't feel like he's a team player. And for all his hubris, I feel like he's also overshadowed as the best player in the world by Lionel Messi. But it was Ronaldo, not Messi, who lifted the European Cup this season, so full credit to him and his teammates for that.
Punter
Guest
Maybe you could explain the hatred of Ronaldo, by so many in the media, as shown by your article. I even stop watching presspass because it was so obvious. There is no denying he is not the team player like Messi, but there are different characters, he does want personal glory above team glory, but he achieves team glory by being so good. However, unlike many flawed geniuses, he is rarely in trouble off the field.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Northern Beaches?!? Even more snobbery! Didnt say that Ronaldo's selfishness was Protugal's downfall, it doesnt help the team though. Also, I believe people are making Portugal out to be weaker than they really are. If they were a cohesive unit and didnt all play for personal glory, the team they have could surprise a lot of people.
Punter
Guest
We disagree with me saying Portugal is weak, they never beat Germany!!! It's not Ronaldo's selfishness that is Portugal's downfall, but the other players not as good as Ronaldo.
Punter
Guest
Northern beaches mate, we like our Espressos with caramel.
Kaks
Roar Guru
What's the point though when there are teams like Arsenal who are happy to settle for a 4th place finish and then act indifferent when being knocked out of the CL in the round of 16? The current format allows teams to be happy to accept mediocrity in order for them to qualify for the lucrative competition, instead of pushing themselves for the top spot.
Mark
Guest
I don't mind the current format. In the big leagues, the fight for Champions League qualification helps to keep things interesting in the last few weeks of the season for clubs who are around the top but can't win the title. There are enough meaningless games in the last few weeks as it is under the current format without removing potential Champions League qualification as an incentive to keep playing at 100%.
Midfielder
Guest
Mike Tis a real issue and IMO opinion cost Harry Kwell his career, playing over 50 matches a year must be hard especially when you need to lift for most games... some bodies are just not built for the demands of 50 + games a year. Has an effect in WC years as well as the best players don't get any real break.. Ad to this the pressure to recover and get back on the field means many players return way to early and cause further damage.