In May 2018, Jurgen Klopp was still looking for his first trophy in Liverpool, and Kiev, which had experienced much better times than today, welcomed the final of two European giants such as the "Reds" and Real Madrid.
All those images now seem so far away, the legendary German didn't win the cup even then, but he did in each of the following years, but what that final is still remembered for - apart from Loris Karius's nightmarish night - is Sadio Mane's goal.
The Liverpool striker then scored to make it 1-1 (Real Madrid later won 3-1) and that goal was the last scored by the losing team in the finals. For the next seven years, the team that took the lead would be the European champion, and there was no reaction from the other team.
FROM TOTENHAM TO INTER
Liverpool and Klopp corrected their mistakes from Kiev the following season and defeated Tottenham 2-0 in the Madrid final, and then all the other future champions did not leave much hope for their rivals in the final.
A year later, Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 with a goal from Kingsley Coman, and with the same result, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City reached the European crown in the following years.
The hero of the "blues" was Kai Havertz, who settled the final with City in Porto, Vinicius Junior demolished Liverpool in Paris, and Rodri made history for the "citizens" in Istanbul against Inter.
It's not that the losers didn't show anything at all in those finals - Liverpool and Inter in particular had their chances - but there were a lack of goals, so the finals are in doubt.
Two years ago, Real Madrid won their 15th title over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley (2:0), and last season there was the least drama when Paris Saint-Germain dominated against Inter in Munich (5:0) and crowned themselves as the king of Europe for the first time.
Seven years without a real final, can everything change in Budapest, where Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal will meet on May 30. The best European team from the last two seasons and the best English team from this one will play, as well as the team that reached the final without defeat.
WHAT IS REMEMBERED FROM THE MIRACLE IN ISTANBUL
The unforgettable final from 2005, when Liverpool went from 0:3 down against the dream team Milan at half-time to 3:3 and later became champions through penalty shootout, is probably the best of all time.
And after that, there weren't many cup games to talk about. Among the memorable ones were Barcelona's comeback against Arsenal (2-1, 2006), as well as Chelsea captain John Terry's slip in Moscow and Manchester United's title (2008).
After that, the powerful Barcelona did not allow United hope in two finals (2:0 in 2009 and 3:1 two years later), nor did Jose Mourinho's Inter in the Madrid final to Bayern (2:0, 2010).
Chelsea's first European title brought great drama in Munich, where home team Bayern lost on penalties in 2012, but Jupp Heynckes' Bavarians turned things around in the German final a year later at Wembley against Klopp's Borussia Dortmund (2:1).
The last memorable final was played in 2014, when Madrid rivals Real and Atletico Madrid met in Lisbon. The "Colchoneros" took the lead with a goal from Diego Godin and held the Champions League trophy in their hands for the first time in history until the 93rd minute. However, then came the heavenly flight of Sergio Ramos, the "Blancos" pulled out extra time and knocked out their disappointed rival (4:1).
Over the next three seasons, Real and Barca won new trophies with confident victories against Juventus (3:1 and 4:1), and the "royal club" once again became champions through penalties and Atletico (then also with our Stefan Savić).
After that, Kiev happened, and then seven years without any real drama. Is it time for a real finale at home?
The last seven Champions League finals
2019: Liverpool - Tottenham 2:0
2020: Bayern - PSG 1:0
2021: Chelsea - M. City 1:0
2022: Real - Liverpul 1:0
2023: M. siti - Inter 1:0
2024: Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund 2:0
2025: PSG - Inter 5:0
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