2014-15 UEFA Champions League Final Barcelona vs Juventus Saturday June 06,2015

 

Two of European football's great names meet in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League final as Juventus and FC Barcelona face off at Berlin's Olympiastadion.  

Juventus, appearing in their first final in 12 years, are seeking a third European crown at the expense of a Barcelona side with their sights set on a fifth title – and fourth in the past decade.

For Juventus this is their eighth European Cup final. Their record is W2 L5:
1972/73 0-1 v AFC Ajax
1982/83 0-1 v Hamburger SV
1984/85 1-0 v Liverpool FC
1995/96 1-1 v AFC Ajax (4-2 pens)
1996/97 1-3 v Borussia Dortmund*
1997/98 0-1 v Real Madrid CF
2002/03 0-0 v AC Milan (2-3 pens)

 This is also Barcelona's eighth European Cup final and their record is W4 L3:
1960/61 2-3 v SL Benfica
1985/86 0-0 v FC Steaua Bucureşti (0-2 pens)
1991/92 1-0 v UC Sampdoria (aet)
1993/94 0-4 v AC Milan
2005/06 2-1 v Arsenal FC
2008/09 2-0 v Manchester United FC
2010/11 3-1 v Manchester United FC

• For both coaches, victory in Berlin would be the icing on the cake of an already impressive debut season, Massimiliano Allegri having led his Juventus team to the Serie A title, with Luis Enrique achieving the same feat in Spain with Barça.

• Indeed, having both also triumphed in their domestic cup finals, Barcelona or Juventus would complete a treble with victory in Berlin. In Barça's case, it would be a record second after their success in 2008/09. In addition to that Barcelona side, previous treble winners are Celtic FC (1967), AFC Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988), Manchester United FC (1999), FC Internazionale Milano (2010) and FC Bayern München (2013)


Match facts

Juventus

• Juventus clinched a fourth successive Italian title three days before their semi-final first leg against Real Madrid. Since the return match in Spain on 13 May, the Bianconeri have beaten Inter (2-1) and SSC Napoli (3-1) in Serie A and drawn with last-day opponents Hellas Verona FC (2-2).
• For the second consecutive season, Juventus ended the campaign 17 points clear of runners-up Roma. Allegri's men had the most prolific attack (72 goals scored) and the meanest defence (24 conceded).
• Juventus are nine games unbeaten in all competitions.
• Chiellini's first club goal since 2 February 2014 drew Juventus level against SS Lazio in the Coppa Italia final on 20 May. Alessandro Matri's extra-time winner sealed a 2-1 victory as the Turin side ended a two-decade wait for domestic cup glory.
• The triumph was the Old Lady's tenth in the competition, a record, and rubber-stamped the club's third double.
• Stefano Sturaro scored his first goal for Juventus in the defeat of Napoli on 23 May. Simone Pepe, who has struggled with injuries for two and a half years, rounded things off from the spot – his first goal since 11 April 2012.
• Rested for the Coppa Italia decider, Buffon made the 900th competitive appearance of his career during the Napoli game, stopping a penalty from Lorenzo Insigne.
• Tévez, who had a late spot kick saved against Verona, finished as Juve's 20-goal top scorer in Serie A, two behind leading marksmen Luca Toni and Mauro Icardi.
• On 25 May, Allegri received the Enzo Bearzot Award, the fifth edition of an accolade named in honour of Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning coach.
• Cáceres (out since 5 March, ankle) is still sidelined. Barzagli suffered a thigh strain against Napoli and is a doubt for the final.
• Chiellini has been ruled out of the Berlin final having suffered a calf injury in training on 3 June.
• On 4 June, Juve signed 21-year-old forward Paulo Dybala from US Città di Palermo for a fee that could rise as high as €40m.

FC Barcelona

• Xavi became the first player to make 150 UEFA Champions League appearances when he featured as a substitute in the semi-final second leg against Bayern.
• Five days after that 3-2 loss in Germany, Barcelona wrapped up their 23rd Liga title by winning 1-0 at Atlético.
• The Azulgrana surrendered a two-goal lead when drawing 2-2 against visitors RC Deportivo La Coruña on the last day of the Liga season. Having recovered from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since the 2014 World Cup, Thomas Vermaelen made his Barcelona debut, playing 61 minutes.
• Barça won a record-extending 27th Copa del Rey on 30 May, completing the club's sixth domestic double, by beating Athletic 3-1 at the Camp Nou. Messi opened and rounded off the scoring, while Neymar was also on target.
• Messi, Neymar and Suárez have scored 120 goals between them in all competitions this term, surpassing the 118 Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín managed for Real Madrid in 2011/12.
• Messi has scored 58 goals this season – 43 in the Liga, ten in the UEFA Champions League and five in the Copa del Rey.
• Barcelona announced on 2 June that they had reached an agreement with Alba to extend the left-back's contract until summer 2020.

FC Barcelona beat Juventus 3-1 to lift fifth Champions League title

FC Barcelona won the Champions League for the fourth time in a decade on Saturday

Ivan Rakitic had sent Barcelona into a fourth-minute lead, but Juventus leveled 10 minutes into the second half through Alvaro Morata

Luis Suarez scored Barcelona's second in the 68th minute after Lionel Messi's shot was palmed away by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Neymar had a goal disallowed for handball but, with the final going into a seventh minute of stoppage time, the Brazil striker found time to score again. This time it counted.

Juventus, though, couldn't prevent Barcelona from collecting the European Cup for the fifth time as the formidable Messi-Neymar-Suarez front three took their goal tally to 122 this season.

The triumph comes after four years without success in European competition and ensures both coach Luis Enrique and Suarez end their first season with the club with a treble.

  This was the fifth time Barcelona have been crowned European champions and it is their fourth Champions League title in the last decade after their 2006, 2009 and 2011 triumphs