After a 63-match marathon, and on a night of chaos and heartache in Paris, Liverpool’s incredible season ended in a cruel defeat.
For the second successive weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s men were denied a trophy in agonising fashion – a second-half sucker-punch from Vinicius Junior and a wonder show from Real keeper Thibaut Courtois robbing them of victory.
Liverpool’s fans had been pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed as kick-off was delayed by more than half an hour by shambolic organisation outside the Stade de France.
And just six days after Manchester City’s comeback against Aston Villa robbed them of the Premier League title, Liverpool were pipped again.
After chasing an unprecedented quadruple for so long, Liverpool end up with ‘just’ two domestic Cups – and both of those won on penalties after goalless draws.
Carlo Ancelotti has now surpassed Liverpool’s Bob Paisley and become the first manager to win four European Cups.
And Real, with 14 triumphs, now boast twice as many successes in this competition as any other club.
It can be argued that they did not deserve to defeat Chelsea in the quarter-finals or Manchester City in the semis and they were certainly second-best here.
But with their experience, their cunning and the sheer weight of their history, Real almost always seem to find a way.