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GARETH BALE described lifting the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid as “a dream come true” after he scored the decisive goal in Lisbon.
With a pulsating final between city rivals Real and Atletico Madrid finely poised at 1-1, Bale struck five minutes into the second period of extra time to break the hearts of the recently-crowned Primera Division champions.
Having missed several chances, Bale held his nerve to steer a header into an empty net after Angel di Maria's shot was saved by Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The header sapped Atletico’s remaining energy, with Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo making it 4-1 and sealing their dream of La Decima,a 10th European Cup triumph.
Bale said: “It’s an amazing feeling to win the Champions League. And yes, it was a hard-fought game, they made it very difficult for us, but yes, we showed our character that we’ve got in the team and eventually we were able to win.
It is the second time that Bale has scored the winner in a cup final in his first season with Real, with his solo goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey earning rave reviews.
Atletico had looked on course for a famous double as, having wrapped up the Primera Division title last week, they took a 36th-minute lead on Saturday night through Diego Godin's header.
But their failure to extend the lead ensured they were on the back foot for much of the final half hour and their defence was finally breached in the third minute of stoppage time when Sergio Ramos headed home from a corner.
From then on, there was only going to be one winner, with several Atletico players showing visible signs of fatigue.