Ex-Real Madrid star, Gareth Bale has claimed that a difference in mentality was the reason Liverpool were beaten by Real Madrid during the Champions League final involving both sides in 2018.

Bale scored Madrid’s third goal of the night to ensure that Liverpool’s hopes of making a comeback were completely eliminated, and the Welshman claims that he was told that the Reds were nervous ahead of the game in Kyiv, while he and his Madrid teammates rested well, knowing it was a game they had to win.

“Just being at Madrid, it’s that aura that you expect to win every game,” the 33-year-old told BT Sport. “Even going into a final, even me going there new, I was expecting to win. You know you have the pressure on you, all the people watching, the club’s expectations, the fans and the media, but you have that expectation you are going to win. It’s hard to explain, you go in and feel like you’re a winner already.

“I remember speaking to Adam Lallana after we beat Liverpool in the first game [2018] we played against them in the final. Some of them struggled to sleep, they were nervous about it and we were just like it’s another game; we expect to win and beat you, even though you’ve been playing better than us. We know how to grind out a result, especially in a final.”