Gareth Bale vs. Liverpool
Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
May 27, 2018
NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium
This was a goal that really did tick every box. Real Madrid had been pegged back at 1-1 by Liverpool when Gareth Bale was brought off the bench and made an instant impact.
Just 122 seconds were needed, and four touches of the ball, for the former Tottenham Hotspur man to leave his mark on the biggest stage of them all - and not for the first time, either.
Bale has the ability to turn it on in the big games, as witnessed with previous finals goals against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions League and Copa del Rey respectively, yet this was taking things to a different level.
Marcelo's cross was delivered into a good position and had a nice trajectory to strike, but nobody quite expected what came next. Bale, no doubt desperate to prove a point after being left on the bench, adjusted his body and flung a boot at the ball, sending his acrobatic effort flying past Loris Karius.
A second would arrive for the Wales international late on, this time through a dreadful goalkeeping error, ensuring that the 2018 showpiece will be one that is forever remembered as the Bale final.
Daniel Lewis
