Juventus, meanwhile, limp away heartbroken for the seventh time in nine European Cup finals. But maybe this one hurts less. They conceded more goals in 90 minutes against Madrid than in 1,080 preceding minutes of Champions League action. They were outclassed by an opponent with another level and, perhaps even one after that. Game planning, hard work and scheme will get you only so far.
"In football, there are absolute values," Juve boss Max Allegri said after the game. "And when those values emerge, if your opponent has more quality than you, then he's better. There's only so much you can do."
An hour before kickoff in Cardiff, the team sheets revealed that hometown hero Gareth Bale, who had last played 41 days ago, was on the bench for Madrid. Zidane evidently doesn't do sentimentality, not with a European Cup at stake.
That Pepe, Lucas Vazquez and James Rodriguez were in the stands was maybe not a surprise, but it did provide a forceful reminder of how polarized and top-heavy today's super clubs really are. We're talking about the hero of the Portugal team, who won the European Championship less than 11 months ago, a Spanish international who had appeared in seven of Real's past eight games and the sixth-most-expensive player in history.
That's how deep and stacked Real Madrid are.
The closed Millennium Stadium roof sealed in the din, both from the Black Eyed Peas' prematch show and Andrea Bocelli's rendition of the UEFA Champions League anthem (I can confirm the lyrics sound even more inane in Italian). When the fans were roused, the acoustics became both tinny and uneasy, at once both distant and close.
The game began as if on fast-forward, with none of the poking and prodding and getting-to-know-you we sometimes see in finals. Juventus' Gonzalo Higuain slithered into space, beat two opponents and fired from the edge of the box; Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas spilled, but recovered.
Real were coming to terms with what was, essentially, Juventus' asymmetrical formation. Andrea Barzagli was a center-back playing right-back, assigned to slow down Ronaldo's runs and provide a meaty aerial challenge at the far post. That meant Dani Alves had the whole flank to himself against his Brazil teammate Marcelo.
On the opposite side, Alex Sandro and Mario Mandzukic were overloaded against Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal. With Isco dropping off to join Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield, it felt at times as if Juve were happy to concede the middle of the park, knowing they could cause problems wide. But cover one base and the other is free.
Madrid's trio of attacking midfielders -- with only Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira to contain them -- found opportunities. And, after 20 minutes, Kroos' rumbling, left-to-center run culminated in the ball arriving at the feet of Ronaldo, who had wisely realized it was best if he steered clear of Barzagli. A layoff to Carvajal in the right-wing position was followed by a shimmy inside to find space and, having received a return pass, Gigi Buffon was beaten.
Juventus were unruffled. Seven minutes later, they equalized in the most spectacular fashion. After turning the screws in the final third, they trapped Madrid deep. And when the ball came to Higuain, he flicked it square to Mandzukic with his back to goal. The big man cushioned it on his chest and unleashed a long-range overhead kick with power and topspin to send it over Navas' head and into the far corner.
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