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Real Madrid have crushed Liverpool's hopes of Champions League glory, winning the final 1-0 in Paris to become Europe's top club side for a 14th time.
The matchup was a repeat of the 2018 final, in which Los Blancos beat the Reds 3-1.
The La Liga giants' victory was set up by the performance of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who produced a number of brilliant saves to deny Liverpool, before Vinicius Junior put Real ahead for good in the 58th minute.
The victory caps a tough knockout stage run for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who beat French champions PSG in the round of 16, before eliminating Premier League teams Chelsea and Manchester City in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively to reach the decider.
The loss was a painful one for Liverpool, who were attempting to win a third title for the season after domestic triumphs in the League Cup and FA Cup.
It was an even more difficult night for their fans after the final was delayed for 37 minutes with Liverpool supporters left outside as riot police used tear gas on those outside the Stade de France.
Brazil winger Vinícius Júnior applied a close-range finish from Federico Valverde's drive across the face of goal for the only score of the game, securing a win that gave Madrid coach Ancelotti a record fourth European Cup title.
While Madrid completed a Champions League-La Liga double, Liverpool finished a season that promised so much — a week ago, it was in contention for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies — with just the two domestic cups in England.
The English team couldn't find a way past Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who tipped Sadio Mane's first-half shot onto the post and produced an even better save to turn away Mohamed Salah's effort in the 81st.
Vinicius sank to his knees and covered his face at full-time. Many of his teammates sprinted the length of the field to celebrate in front of Madrid's fans at one end of the stadium.
Marcelo, Madrid's serial winner of trophies who didn't even play a minute of the final, was given the honour of lifting the trophy to a backdrop of fireworks and ticker tape.
Madrid underlined its status as king of European soccer, given the Spanish giant owns double the number of European Cups as the number two on the list, AC Milan.
However, for many, especially Liverpool fans, pre-match crowd issues overshadowed this final and they are sure to be the focus of an investigation by UEFA and authorities in the coming days.
Riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray at supporters waiting in long lines to get into European soccer's showpiece game, whose kick-off was delayed.
UEFA blamed the chaos on people trying to get into the stadium without legitimate tickets, without providing details on where they could be from.
"In the lead-up to the game, the turnstiles at the Liverpool end became blocked by thousands of fans who purchased fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles," UEFA said in a statement.
Some fans climbed fences surround the stadium to get in. Others barged their way past security and sprinted onto the concourse before getting wrestled to the ground.
Riot police with batons and riot shields ran from gate to gate to prevent pockets of fans forcing their way into the stadium.
About 15 minutes before the scheduled kick-off at 9p,m local time, an announcement was made that there would be a delay. It was greeted by jeers inside the stadium.
The scenes were reminiscent of the chaos outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final last year between England and Italy.
ABC/AP
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