ON A wilting night in the Spanish capital, Liverpool won the European Cup for the sixth time to move ahead of Bayern Munich to stand behind only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (seven) in the pantheon of European club football.

In an ultimately disappointing final, the decisive moment came after only 21 seconds as Sadio Mane elicited a penalty by striking the ball against Moussa Sissoko’s upraised arm in the area. 

Despite a VAR review, the decision of referee Damir Skomina stood and Mo Salah, the player who limped away injured from last year’s final, struck his shot over the diving Hugo Lloris to give Liverpool a lead they never relinquished.