 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2014–15 UEFA Champions League | ||||||
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| Date | 6 June 2015 | ||||||
| Venue | Olympiastadion,Berlin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 70,442[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy 26 °C (79 °F) 49%humidity[4] | ||||||
←2014 2016 → | |||||||
The2015 UEFA Champions League final was the final match of the2014–15 UEFA Champions League, the 60th season of Europe's premier clubfootball tournament organised byUEFA, and the 23rd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to theUEFA Champions League. It was played at theOlympiastadion inBerlin, Germany, on 6 June 2015, between Italian sideJuventus and Spanish sideBarcelona.
For the second time – after2010 – both teams came into the final with the possibility of definitively winning acontinental treble, having each won their national league and cup for the season. Barcelona scored the only goal of the first half after four minutes, throughIvan Rakitić. Ten minutes after the interval, Juventus equalised with a goal byÁlvaro Morata. In the 68th minute,Luis Suárez put Barcelona back in the lead, and Barcelona's win was confirmed whenNeymar scored with the last kick of the game. It was Barcelona's fifth trophy in the competition, and sealed their second treble, the other coming in2009. It was also Juventus' sixth defeat in a European Cup final, the most by any club, a record they previously shared withBayern Munich andBenfica.
As winners, Barcelona earned the right to play against the winners of the2014–15 UEFA Europa League,Sevilla, in the2015 UEFA Super Cup, and won that match 5–4. They also qualified to enter the2015 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan as the UEFA representative, going on to beat Argentina'sRiver Plate in thefinal.
TheOlympiastadion was announced as the venue for the final at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in London on 23 May 2013.[5] This was the first European Cup/Champions League final hosted in Berlin.[6]
The current Olympiastadion was built for the1936 Summer Olympics in the western part of the city.[7] Since 1985, the stadium has hosted the finals of both theDFB-Pokal and itsfemale equivalent. The Olympiastadion hosts theInternationales Stadionfest, which was anIAAF Golden League event from 1998 to 2009. The stadium hosted the2009 World Championships in Athletics.[8]
Aside from its use as an Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition, having been the home ofHertha BSC since 1963.[9] It was also used for three matches at the1974 FIFA World Cup, and was renovated ahead of the2006 tournament, at which it hosted six matches, including thefinal.[10]
This was the eighth European Cup/UEFA Champions League final for both Juventus and Barcelona.[11] Juventus won two of their previous finals (1985,1996) and lost five (1973,1983,1997,1998,2003), while Barcelona won four of their previous finals (1992,2006,2009,2011) and lost three (1961,1986,1994). Barcelona also played in sixCup Winners' Cup finals (winning in1979,1982,1989,1997, and losing in1969,1991), while Juventus also played in one Cup Winners' Cup final (winning in1984) and fourUEFA Cup finals (winning in1977,1990,1993, and losing in1995).[12]
The two teams had previously played six times in UEFA club competitions, but never in a final. In their previous UEFA club competition meetings, Barcelona won 2–1 on aggregate in the1985–86 European Cup quarter-finals and 3–2 on aggregate in the1990–91 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, while Juventus won 3–2 on aggregate in the2002–03 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.[13] They also played in the 1952Latin Cup semi-finals, won by Barcelona 4–2, and the1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup second round, won by Juventus 4–2 on aggregate.[14]
Similar to the2010 UEFA Champions League final, both teams entered the final in the possibility of winning thetreble of domestic league, domestic cup and Champions League titles.[15] Juventus were crowned champions of the2014–15 Serie A on 2 May, and won the2015 Coppa Italia final eighteen days later. Barcelona were crowned champions of the2014–15 La Liga on 17 May, and won the2015 Copa del Rey final thirteen days later. While it would have been the first treble for Juventus, Barcelona had previously won the treble in2008–09.[16]
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
 Juventus | Round |  Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Malmö FF | 2–0 (H) | Matchday 1 |  APOEL | 1–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlético Madrid | 0–1 (A) | Matchday 2 |  Paris Saint-Germain | 2–3 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Olympiacos | 0–1 (A) | Matchday 3 |  Ajax | 3–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympiacos | 3–2 (H) | Matchday 4 | Ajax | 2–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malmö FF | 2–0 (A) | Matchday 5 | APOEL | 4–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Atlético Madrid | 0–0 (H) | Matchday 6 | Paris Saint-Germain | 3–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group A runners-up
Source:UEFA | Final standings | Group F winners
Source:UEFA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Borussia Dortmund | 5–1 | 2–1 (H) | 3–0 (A) | Round of 16 |  Manchester City | 3–1 | 2–1 (A) | 1–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monaco | 1–0 | 1–0 (H) | 0–0 (A) | Quarter-finals | Paris Saint-Germain | 5–1 | 3–1 (A) | 2–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Madrid | 3–2 | 2–1 (H) | 1–1 (A) | Semi-finals | Bayern Munich | 5–3 | 3–0 (H) | 2–3 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As winners of the2013–14 Serie A, Juventus qualified automatically for thegroup stage. They were seeded second in Group A featuring – in seeded order –Atlético Madrid (champions of the2013–14 La Liga),Olympiacos (champions of the2013–14 Super League Greece), andMalmö FF (champions of the2013 Allsvenskan).[17]
Their campaign began on 16 September, hosting Malmö at theJuventus Stadium, winning 2–0 through second-half goals byCarlos Tevez.[18] On 1 October, they travelled to face Atlético at theVicente Calderón Stadium, losing by a sole goal fromArda Turan late on, a result that left all four teams level on three points apiece.[19] Three weeks later Juventus again lost by one goal on their travels,Pajtim Kasami scoring in the first half for Olympiacos, whose goalkeeperRoberto played a key role.[20] On 4 November, hosting the Greeks, Juventus won 3–2 after trailing 1–2, getting two goals in as many minutes from Roberto'sown goal andPaul Pogba's winning strike.[21]
On 26 November, Juventus won away for the first time in the group, with second-half goals fromFernando Llorente and Tevez at Malmö'sSwedbank Stadion.[22] In the final group game on 9 December, they hosted a goalless draw against Atlético, which sent both teams through, but Juventus in second place.[23]
As group runners-up, Juventus had to face a group winner – GermansBorussia Dortmund of Group D – in thelast 16. They won 2–1 at home in the first leg on 24 February 2015, with all the goals in the first half – visitorMarco Reus equalised either side of strikes from Tevez andÁlvaro Morata.[24] The same forwards were on target in the second leg at theWestfalenstadion on 18 March – Tevez scored twice, including in the third minute – as Juventus won 3–0, and 5–1 on aggregate.[25]
In the quarter-finals, Juventus facedMonaco, runners-up in the2013–14 Ligue 1. The only goal of the tie came in the first leg at home on 14 April,Arturo Vidal scoring apenalty kick afterRicardo Carvalho tripped Morata.[26] It was their first advancement into the semi-finals for 12 years.[27]
On 5 May, Juventus hosted reigning championsReal Madrid at Juventus Stadium. Morata opened the scoring against his former team, andCristiano Ronaldo equalised before half time. Tevez scored the winning goal from the penalty spot after he was fouled byDani Carvajal.[28] Eight days later, the two teams drew at theSantiago Bernabéu Stadium: Ronaldo scored a penalty afterGiorgio Chiellini fouledJames Rodríguez, but in the second half Morata equalised. Juventus advanced to the final 3–2 on aggregate.[29]
Barcelona qualified for the group stage as runners-up to Atlético in the previous season's La Liga. They were the top seeds in Group F, alongside – in order –Paris Saint-Germain (winners of the2013–14 Ligue 1),Ajax (winners of the2013–14 Eredivisie) andAPOEL (winners of the2013–14 Cypriot First Division).[30]
In their first game of the group, defenderGerard Piqué headed the only goal to defeatAPOEL at theCamp Nou on 17 September.[31] However, thirteen days later at theParc des Princes, they fell 3–2 to Paris Saint-Germain.[32] On 21 October, Barcelona hosted Ajax and got first-half goals throughNeymar andLionel Messi;Anwar El Ghazi scored for the visitors with two minutes to play butSandro's added-time strike confirmed a 3–1 win.[33] Barcelona travelled to theAmsterdam Arena on 5 November and defeated Ajax 2–0 with a Messi goal in each half; he equalled the tournament's record of 71 overall goals.[34]
On 25 November, Barcelona played APOEL at theGSP Stadium inNicosia, winning 4–0 with a hat-trick from Messi and a further goal fromLuis Suárez; Messi became the competition's all-time top scorer.[35] Barcelona won the group with a 3–1 home win over PSG on 10 December. They initially fell behind to a goal byZlatan Ibrahimović, but replied with a goal each from the South American forward line of Messi, Neymar and Suárez.[36]
In the last 16, Barcelona facedManchester City, winners of the2013–14 Premier League and Group E runners-up. In the first leg at theCity of Manchester Stadium on 24 February 2015, Suárez scored twice in the first 30 minutes, andSergio Agüero got a goal back for the hosts after the break.[37] In the return game on 18 March, City goalkeeperJoe Hart limited Barcelona to a single goal byIvan Rakitić, and Barcelona advanced 3–1 on aggregate.[38]
Barcelona met PSG again in the quarter-finals. On 15 April in Paris, Neymar scored the only goal of the first half and Suárez added two more, with the hosts getting a consolation throughJérémy Mathieu's own goal.[39] Six days later, two first-half goals from Neymar sealed a 5–1 aggregate win.[40]
In the semi-finals, Barcelona's opponents wereBayern Munich, winners of the2013–14 Bundesliga. They hosted the first leg on 6 May, breaking the deadlock with two late goals from Messi in a three-minute spell, and an added-time addition by Neymar.[41] Six days later at theAllianz Arena, Bayern took the lead throughMedhi Benatia, and Neymar put Barcelona into the lead by half time. Second-half goals byRobert Lewandowski andThomas Müller gave Bayern a 3–2 win on the night, but Barcelona advanced 5–3 on aggregate.[42]
Former Germany international playerKarl-Heinz Riedle, who won the Champions League withBorussia Dortmund against Juventus in 1997, was named the ambassador for the final.[43]
UEFA unveiled the visual identity of the final on 29 August 2014. It blends the stadium with the city'sBrandenburg Gate.[44]
With a stadium capacity of 70,500, a total amount of 46,000 tickets were available to fans and the general public, with the two finalist teams receiving 20,000 tickets each and with 6,000 tickets being available for sale to fans worldwide via UEFA.com from 5 to 23 March 2015 in four price categories: €390, €280, €160, and €70.[45] The rest of 24,500 tickets were allocated to sponsors and officials.[46]
The2015 UEFA Women's Champions League final was held on 14 May 2015 at theFriedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Berlin. Unlike recent years, in which the Women's Champions League final was held in the same week as the men's Champions League final, the two matches are separated by almost a month, as the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup started in early June.[47]
The annual UEFA Champions Festival was held between 4–7 June 2015 in the streets aroundBrandenburg Gate.[48]
The UEFA Champions League Anthem is performed by German sopranoNina Maria Fischer and Spanish tenorManuel Gomez Ruiz, the first time it had been performed as a duet.[49]
In May 2015, the officials were chosen for the final by UEFA, led by Turkish refereeCüneyt Çakır. His compatriots Bahattin Duran and Tarık Ongun were chosen as assistant referees, and fellow TurksHüseyin Göçek and Barış Şimşek the additional assistants, with Mustafa Emre Eyisoy the reserve assistant.Jonas Eriksson, of Sweden, was chosen as fourth official.[50] Çakır is a UEFA elite referee, and has refereed atUEFA Euro 2012 and the2014 FIFA World Cup, as well as the2012 FIFA Club World Cup Final.
Çakır was scrutinised by the British media in 2013 when he sent offManchester United'sNani in a Champions League round of 16 match and the English team went on to lose to Real Madrid.[51] ManagerAlex Ferguson was so enraged by the decision that he refused to speak to the media after the game.[52] UEFA confirmed that no action would be taken against the referee, concluding that he made the correct judgement.[53]
Juventus defenderGiorgio Chiellini was ruled out of the final with a calf injury picked up in training on 3 June.[54] Barcelona had no injury concerns before the final.[55]
Barcelona'sLuis Suárez had previously been involved in two controversies with players in the Juventus squad: in 2012, he was found guilty by an FA commission of using racially insulting language towardsPatrice Evra in a game between their respective former clubsLiverpool and Manchester United, and at the2014 FIFA World Cup he escaped punishment for biting Chiellini but was punished retrospectively. Evra stated that he would shake Suárez's hand before the game, after Suarez had refused to shake his hand in their last match.[56]
In the second minute, Barcelona'sJavier Mascherano conceded a corner kick, which Juventus aimed at Evra but Barcelona cleared it. However two minutes later,Jordi Alba made a run on Barcelona's left, passing toNeymar and thenAndrés Iniesta who set upIvan Rakitić to score the first goal from close range. Rakitić's goal was Barcelona's fastest goal in a Champions League final,[57] and the fourth fastest in a Champions League final overall.[58] In the 11th minute,Arturo Vidal of Juventus received the first yellow card for foulingSergio Busquets. At half time, Barcelona led 1–0.[59]
Ten minutes into the second half, Juventus equalised:Claudio Marchisio back-heeled the ball to right-backStephan Lichtsteiner, who set upCarlos Tevez. Barcelona goalkeeperMarc-André ter Stegen blocked the shot from Tevez, butÁlvaro Morata levelled the scores by putting the rebound into the net. In the 67th minute, Juventus appealed for a penalty whenPaul Pogba went down in the area when challenged byDani Alves, but the referee did not give it. Two minutes later, Barcelona took the lead again whenLionel Messi shot from the edge of the area,Gianluigi Buffon blocked it and Suárez put in the rebound. Soon after, Neymar put the ball into the net from Alba's cross, but it was disallowed as the referee deemed that Neymar had headed it into his own hand.[59]
In the 78th minute, Barcelona substituted Iniesta, who gave his captain's armband toXavi, making his 767th and final appearance for Barcelona.[60] Soon after, Juventus made three substitutions in quick succession: Vidal was replaced withRoberto Pereyra and Morata withFernando Llorente, while Evra made way forKingsley Coman. In added time, Barcelona made their final two changes, as Rakitić made way forJérémy Mathieu and the limping Suárez forPedro.[61]In the final added minute, Alves handled the ball near the halfway line, and Juventus launched the resulting free kick towards the Barcelona goal, where it was cleared. The ensuing counter-attack ended with Pedro giving an assist to Neymar, who scored the final kick to make it 3–1.[59]
          Juventus[4] |      Barcelona[4] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[62]
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With the win, Barcelona became the first European club to achieve thetreble twice.[64] Their fifth European title put them joint third withBayern Munich andLiverpool, until Liverpool won the2019 final to achieve their sixth title. Bayern also went on to win their sixth trophy a year later, in the2020 final. If only the Champions League era is considered, this is their fourth title, putting them one title behindReal Madrid.[65] Madrid extended their lead by winning a fifth title in2016 and, as of2024, they have won nine titles in the Champions League era.
On the other hand, Juventus became the first team to lose six finals: they previously shared the record withBenfica andBayern Munich.[65]Patrice Evra became the first player to play in four losing UEFA Champions League finals, having previously been a runner-up in 2004 (withMonaco), 2009 and 2011 (both with Manchester United).[66]
Neymar's goal meant that three players shared the title of top scorer in the competition, alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He became the first player sinceKaká in2006–07 to be top scorer apart from those two. Messi was the top assister with six, with Ronaldo among the runners-up with four. After the final, both Messi and Ronaldo had a record 77 Champions League goals, but Ronaldo had one more if qualifiers were to be included.[67]
Speaking toCanal+ after his final game for Barcelona, Xavi said he felt nostalgic knowing that he would never play for the team again, but deemed it "incredible" to win the Champions League in his last appearance. He admitted that Barcelona had been shaken by Juventus' equaliser, but had recovered through Messi doing "his thing". Xavi praised managerLuis Enrique for his successes despite his disputes with the club's board; there was uncertainty whether Luis Enrique would remain in his position for the following season.[60]
Luis Enrique called the final "spectacular", and his team's opponents "absolutely top-level". Of the Juventus team, he singled out Buffon for praise. In his own side, he commented that Neymar had gone from "very, very good" in his previous season, to "spectacular" in this one, ranking him among the world's best players. Luis Enrique stated that Suárez' performances had been worth the money Barcelona paid for him, despite initial doubt whether he would adapt to a new team. In spite of Barcelona's treble, the manager concluded that it had been "a difficult year, a transitional year".[68]
Juventus managerMassimiliano Allegri praised his team for their efforts, and said that despite a few regrets, they could exit with confidence from their performance. He commented that the team reaching the final had inspired the city ofTurin and the whole of Italy. Allegri added that to improve on the season would not mean winning a treble, but remaining within Europe's top 8 teams for the future.[68]
After winning the final, Barcelona qualified for the2015 UEFA Super Cup against compatriotsSevilla, winners of the2014–15 UEFA Europa League. In the match on 11 August inTbilisi, Georgia, Barcelona won 5–4 with Pedro scoring an extra-time winner. It was their fifth win in the competition, equalling Milan's record.[69]
In December, Barcelona travelled to Japan as Europe's representative in the2015 FIFA Club World Cup. They defeated China'sGuangzhou Evergrande 3–0 in the semi-finals andRiver Plate of Argentina by the same score in thefinal. It was a record third win in the competition, and their fifth trophy of the calendar year.[70]
