Liverpool lost Champions League because of Real Madrid 'fear factor'

Real Madrid CF won a record-extending 14th UEFA Champions League title this year. Right-back Dani Carvajal feels that despite having had a strong campaign, Liverpool FC failed to overcome Los Blancos at the final due to a "fear factor" over his team's reputation of never losing a final.

Carvajal knows all about winning finals with Real Madrid, having started in each of the five Champions League finals that the club has won since 2014. In fact, the "reputation" of Real Madrid is built on solid statistics, with the club winning their last eight European final appearances.

With the latest title, Carvajal joined an elite group of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema who have won five Champions League trophies in their career. He thinks that opponents are always aware of the fact that they can never rest easy against a club like Real Madrid. They have managed to turn around deficits at the last moment, meaning there is always a feeling of pressure weighing down their opponents.

"I think it's more what the rival feels than what we feel. We go for it every time. We know that, even if we are very bad and it's not our day, we will have our chances and that, if we keep handing out hammer blows, we will get our reward," he told Diario AS.

Carvajal also added that he and his teammates know exactly what to do to find the winning moment even if they may not be dominating a match.

"It influences the rival more, I have Madrid in front of me, Madrid don't lose finals, Madrid knows how to compete in finals… In Paris the team scored the goal and that was basically the game," he explained, referring to the lone goal scored by Vinicius Jr.

"We know what to do in each moment, that they will leave spaces and that is the key: managing the moments in the match correctly in order to win the trophy." And win the trophy they most certainly did, to the utter disbelief of Liverpool fans who watched attempt after attempt get thwarted by keeper Thibaut Courtois.

In fact, the same could be said about each opponent at every stage of this season's Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain (last 16), Chelsea FC (quartefinals) and Manchester City (semi-finals) all found themselves ahead at some point before falling victim to Real Madrid's "remontada."

Real Madrid have been criticised for the manner by which they have won some matches, with others calling them lucky. In the end, 14 European titles speak for themselves.