Barcelona conquer Juventus to capture 5th Champions League title

Barcelona are European champions once again.

In an entertaining match that featured brilliance from both sides and end-to-end excitement, the Catalan club emerged with a 3-1 win over Juventus to capture their fifth Champions League title and become the first club in history to claim a second Treble.

Here's what you need to know from what will likely be the most entertaining Champions League final for years to come:

• The starting XIs revealed what everyone had anticipated, as Barcelona announced that they would take the pitch with the usual suspects that had comprised their 4-3-3 formation throughout the competition, while Juventus declared that Andrea Barzagli would be the replacement for the injured Giorgio Chiellini in their 4-4-2 diamond.
• A colourful ceremony took place ahead of kickoff, one that saw dancers form a star around an image of the iconic Champions League ball.

• As the two sides took the pitch to the sound of the competition's official anthem, Barcelona supporters unveiled a wonderful mosaic that featured the Catalan club's official motto "Mes Que Un Club."

• At the other end of the pitch, Juventus supporters took advantage of the giant inflatable European Champions Clubs' Cup that was placed in their end, displaying a tifo that featured two arms - one of which was significantly longer - attempting to clutch the trophy.

First Half

• Using the term "opportunity" loosely, the first opportunity of the match fell to Juventus only seconds after kickoff, when Javier Mascherano failed to clear the ball, allowing Carlos Tevez to lift a shot over the bar.
• Barcelona 1, Juventus 0: It took just over three minutes for Luis Enrique's side to open the scoring, as they produced a mesmerising string of passes that carved apart Juventus's backline and allowed Ivan Rakitic to slot the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.

• It was the type of goal that has come to define Barcelona over the past decade, as the Catalan club completed 16 passes in the buildup while covering the entire width of the pitch.

• Furthermore, the goal ranked among the fastest-ever in a Champions League final, placing Rakitic alongside some impressive company.

• Massimiliano Allegri's side were handed a lifeline moments later, when Neymar clipped a cross into the box that came into contact with Stephan Lichtsteiner's right hand. While the Swiss right-back's arm was by his side, referee Cuneyt Cakir could very easily have pointed to the penalty spot.
• As Barcelona continued to pile on the pressure, Neymar nearly found the back of the net in the ninth minute, opening up some space outside of Juventus's penalty area before blasting a shot just off target.

• To no one's surprise, Arturo Vidal was the recipient of the match's first yellow card, being cautioned for a challenge on Sergio Busquets. Few could argue that Busquets went down rather easily, but Vidal had already escaped a booking minutes earlier when he slid in behind Andres Iniesta.

• It was Buffon to Juventus's rescue in the 13th minute. After Lionel Messi found a scampering Luis Suarez at the edge of the Old Lady's box, the Uruguayan cannibal played a ball back for Dani Alves, who forced a surreal one-handed stop out of the Italian 'keeper.

• In the midst of a Catalan onslaught, Juventus finally produced another respectable chance in the 25th minute, as Claudio Marchisio sent a screamer just over the bar from 20 yards out after Alvaro Morata had pushed Jordi Alba off the ball.
• Suarez nearly doubled Barcelona's lead in the 40th minute, cutting in from the right before firing a low shot just wide of the bottom-left corner that triggered a collective gasp from everyone at the Olympiastadion.
• The 1-0 scoreline at the interval was an accurate reflection of how both teams had performed in the first half, particularly given Barcelona's furious start to the game.

Second Half

• A five-on-three situation unfolded only moments into the second half, as Barcelona launched an intimidating counterattack following a poor corner kick from Juventus. Had Buffon not come through yet again, Suarez would have finally gotten his name on the scoresheet.
• Barcelona 1, Juventus 1: As was the case in Juventus's dethroning of Real Madrid, Morata resurrected his side when it looked as though they were about to meet their demise. Following a stunning back-heel pass from Marchisio that took out Barcelona's entire midfield, an onrushing Lichtsteiner slipped a pass back to Tevez. Although the Argentine's shot was parried by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the ball fell directly into the path of Morata, who had no trouble slotting home the equaliser.

• It's not often that a player who scored in both legs of a Champions League semifinal goes on to score in the final. In fact, it had only happened once prior to Morata's goal.

• Running on the adrenaline of an equaliser, Juventus suddenly looked more alive that ever. Barcelona couldn't assemble passes as they had in the first half, and Morata came close to scoring in the 58th minute when he headed a free kick from Andrea Pirlo over the bar. Five minutes later, Marchisio pivoted a pass through the Catalan club's defense for Tevez, who sent another shot over the bar.
• With momentum in their favour, Juventus were extraordinarily unlucky to not be awarded a penalty in the 67th minute, when Alves dragged Paul Pogba to the ground as Vidal swung in a ball from the right. Had the incident not occurred in a final, a penalty would almost certainly have been awarded, and it proved to be a match-altering incident.

• Barcelona 2, Juventus 1: Because football is a funny game, Suarez finally found the goal he had been seeking only two minutes after Pogba was denied of a penalty. Messi forced Buffon to get down and make an excellent save with a shot from the edge of the box, and El Canibal smashed home the ensuing rebound using the outside of his foot.

• Curiously, two of the three Uruguayans to have scored in a Champions League final did so in the past two editions.

• For a moment, it looked as though Barcelona had scored a third, as Neymar headed a cross from Alba past Buffon. However, the goal was called off after Cakir determined that the ball had taken a deflection off the Brazilian phenom's elbow. Neymar's ensuing pleas went unanswered.

• In a tear-jerking moment, Xavi, who is set to depart the only club he's ever known, took the pitch one last time for Barcelona, replacing Iniesta in the 78th minute and receiving the captain's armband in the process.

• Surprisingly, Suarez's goal didn't entirely kill the momentum that Juventus had gathered beforehand. Allegri's men pressed for another equaliser, coming close in the 79th minute, when ter Stegen punched a ball directly at Morata that nearly resulted in a comical goal, and again in the 77th minute, when Pogba rose at the far post and headed a close-range effort over the bar.
• As the match approached its final minutes, Suarez fell awkwardly and appeared to be in a considerable amount of pain before rising to his feet. He was subsequently replaced by Pedro, likely to kill off the clock and not because he was seriously injured.
• Barcelona 3, Juventus 1: As the match entered the 97th minute and supporters of the Catalan club began questioning whether they would ever hear the final whistle, Neymar hammered one final nail into the Old Lady's coffin, completing a counterattack after he received a pass from Pedro. The goal triggered wild scenes and proved to be the final kick of an outlandish season for Barcelona.

• Pirlo, whose gentlemanly composure is universally known, was inconsolable after the match, shedding the manliest of tears as Pogba did his best to provide comfort.

• Barcelona, meanwhile, didn't waste a second in celebrating a fifth Champions League title and the Treble, as they proceeded to throw Enrique into the heavens before hoisting the European Champions Clubs' Cup in a flurry of confetti.