Cesar saves final for Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen 1 Real Madrid 2

A piece of genuine brilliance from Zinedine Zidane ensured Real Madrid captured their ninth champions of Europe title.

The Frenchman struck in the final minute of the first period with a blistering volley from the edge of the area to win the Champions League trophy for the Spanish giants at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen.

Raul had opened the scoring for Real in the eighth minute before Leverkusen defender Lucio equalised six minutes later.

But Zidane struck one of the finest goals ever seen at Hampden Park to clinch the trophy.

However, Leverkusen can count themselves unfortunate losers after dominating the game for long periods.

Figo’s assertion that the Germans would prove physical emerged as early as the 50th second when Bernd Schneider clattered Roberto Carlos.

But Leverkusen defender Diego Rodolfo Placente was showing some good touches on the offensive down the left flank.

However, Real proved they could use the one-dimensional route as well as fluency when Carlos hurled a throw 50 yards forward.

But, unfortunately for the Spaniards, Raul’s run was interrupted by Boris Zivkovic.

That same throw was to prove deadly in the eighth minute when Raul connected cleanly with the Brazilian’s near 40-yard throw and slid the ball past Hans-Jorg Butt from the left corner of the box.

However, the Bundesliga side were not prepared to allow Real to rest on the lead and a Schneider free-kick two minutes after the goal saw Dominguez Cesar forced into punching clear.

Then, in the 14th minute, Leverkusen turned their spell of pressure into an equaliser.

Claude Makelele caught Ballack late on the left side of the box and Schneider sent over the free-kick.

Lucio saw the opportunity first and nipped to the edge of the six-yard box to glance home with his head.

Ballack almost set Thomas Brdaric clear in the 20th minute but he was adjudged to have fouled Michel Salgado as he raced towards the by-line.

But Real were almost caught napping in the 22nd minute when Brdaric ghosted past Carlos to collect a Lucio pass.

But goalkeeper Cesar did enough to put the Leverkusen man off and palm the ball away from a corner.

Figo was orchestrating the Real midfield and set Raul up for a cross in the 23rd minute.

But there was little support when the striker crossed and Butt held on.

At the other end, Salgado blocked Ballack as Leverkusen earned a corner.

Schneider’s set-piece looked poor but the Real defence still allowed it to drift across the box before Zivkovic instinctively turned in a shot which Cesar did well to hold.

Little had been seen of Zidane until the half hour mark when his mazy run gave him an opportunity to strike, but his effort was blocked.

Salgado was looking distinctly uncomfortable at right-back and Ballack again left him stranded before crossing, but Frenchman Makelele cleared for a corner.

In the 35th minute Ballack looked set to strike but blazed wide with a first-time effort from a Schneider ball to the edge of the area.

But, seven minutes before the break, the German side were forced into a change when the dangerous Brdaric limped off to be replaced by Dimitar Berbatov.

Neuville looked to be in the clear to head home a Schneider ball but was adjudged offside, to save his embarrassment, after completely mistiming his effort.

But, despite his quiet first 45 minutes, Zidane proved his £40million price tag with one sublime piece of skill to give Real the lead again.

Carlos sent a cross from the by-line which hovered for seemingly ages and the Frenchman looked once at goal and once at the incoming ball before blasting into the top-right corner of the net with his left foot.

The second half was delayed by the intervention of a streaker who proceeded to take the ball from centre spot before scoring past the Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper, inappropriately named in this instance, Butt.

But it was the Bundesliga side who were first to show in the second period with Salgado forced to clear his box after good work from the busy Yildiray Basturk on the right.

However, the German side were clearly in no mood to allow Zidane’s superb strike to interfere with their game plan.

Again Ballack attempted to force the pace of the game but some quality Real defending saw his efforts come to nothing in the opening moments of the half.

But the spectre of Zidane was becoming more and more prevalent through the middle as Figo sat further back to allow the Frenchman to have his say in midfield.

A rare Carlos slip offered Leverkusen a throw but the Brazilian was also on hand to clear the danger when the ball was launched into the box by Zoltan Sebescen.

Some brilliant midfield play let Santiago Solari free down the left channel of the area but Butt did well to punch away his cross.

Ramelow was looking to free Basturk in the 58th minute but Carlos did enough to clear the danger.

The game was becoming ever more easy on the eye as play flowed from end to end.

Figo burst clear down the right on the hour mark but his cross into the area was high and wide.

It was to be the Portuguese international’s last piece of the action as former Liverpool man McManaman was thrust into the limelight again two years after scoring in the final win over Valencia.

Berbatov made a nuisance of himself when challenging Cesar for a Ramelow long ball into the area but referee Urs Meier judged the battle in favour of the Real keeper.

A Schneider free-kick again caused Cesar some problems when he was challenged by Lucio.

The Real goalkeeper immediately threw the ball out so he could receive attention.

Leverkusen used the time to switch Sebescen for Ulf Kirsten.

However, Cesar appeared to be struggling after the knock and indicated his desire to leave the field to be replaced by Iker Casillas.

The goalkeeping switch was the first one since the 1982 final when Aston Villa were forced to replace Jimmy Rimmer with Nigel Spink before going on to claim the trophy against Bayern Munich.

The Spaniards now had the upper hand in the game as Leverkusen looked to have lost their momentum.

But, to their credit, the German nemesis of this season’s English entrants were willing to continue their attempts to break forward.

Ballack was at the head of the queue while Ramelow was probing too.

But McManaman reminded the German side that Real still had an eye for the breakaway with a blistering chase down the right.

His cross eluded Raul but Butt failed to collect properly before Placente cleared.

Moments later, Raul played a clever through ball to Morientes but the forward could only drive wide.

At the other end though, Lucio offered Ballack a ball to run on to but the midfielder could only fire over the crossbar.

Substitute Kirsten drilled a ball to the left flank under pressure from the Real defence but Placente’s cross was weary and drifted away from the danger area.

Leverkusen were, however, moving closer to the target and a Neuville ball was caught by the rising Berbatov but he could only direct his header over the bar.

Solari broke into the area at the other end - fooling both Ramelow and Zivkovic in the process - but Butt saved well from close range.

However, the majority of the closing minutes was being played in the Real half as Leverkusen searched for the equaliser to send the game into extra time.

The fourth official surprised everyone in the crowd by showing seven minutes of added-on time.

It was just the excuse goalkeeper Butt needed to get forward but, despite connecting with Schneider’s cross, he could only guide the ball wide.

Play was confined to the Real end now as anxious Spanish fans urged the referee to blow his whistle.

Four minutes into the added time, Basturk found himself space and Cesar did well to parry.

But the German side were not finished and Berbatov was twice denied by terrific saves from Cesar in the closing seconds.