President Kagame grace Champions league final as Zidane guides Real Madrid to 11th title

Rwanda President Paul Kagame was among high profile delegates invited by the UEFA to grace the 2016 Champions League final held on Saturday night at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

President Kagame was in attendance alongside Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) president Mr Nzamwita Vincent.

At a packed San Siro Stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo added the finishing touches as Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for an 11th time with a 5-3 penalties victory over Atletico Madrid, after a 1-1 draw.

President Kagame who was supporting Atletico Madrid said on his twitter handle @PaulKagame after the game, “I was rooting for Atletico Madrid . Hope next time….. Quite unassuming guys and their coach. It was a good game any way,”

Two years after reviving Real’s bid for a 10th title, captain Sergio Ramos struck the opener after just 15 minutes at a packed San Siro.

But the match was pushed into extra time when Belgian Yannick Carrasco came off the bench to level on 79 minutes.

After two, scoreless periods of extra time the match went to penalties.

And when defender Juanfran’s effort blasted off the bottom of Keylor Navas’s upright, it gave Real the advantage.

Ronaldo stepped up and made no mistake, securing the trophy for the second time in three years to leave a dejected Atletico with the crumbs again after an agonising defeat.

Real, inaugural winners of the competition in 1956, claimed their 10th title two years ago in Lisbon when a late Ramos leveller pushed the match into extra-time.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone had pledged his side, two-time Europa League winners in 2010 and 2012, would end their wait to finally win Europe’s premier competition.

Zidane, a Champions League winner with Real as a player in 2002, replaced Rafael Benitez as manager at the Bernabeu in January, with Real still reeling from a bruising 4-0 hammering by Barcelona earlier in the season and facing the prospect of a second successive campaign without major silverware.

The 43-year-old finishes it as the seventh different manager to deliver a European Cup to Real.