Barcelona won the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Juventus on Saturday the 6^th of June at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. The Catalans' early opener was wiped out soon after the restart, though they rallied to net a second midway through the second period and a third at the death.

             It took just four minutes, 3:24 to be precise, for Barça to score the game's first goal, when Lionel Messi swung a glorious crossfield pass for Jordi Alba out on the left. Andrés Iniesta promptly took receipt of the ball in the box in the penalty area, and laid on a simple finish for Ivan Rakitić to slot home.

                It was the start of a few minutes of utter dominance from the Catalans, with Juve completely chasing shadows. Only a smart reaction stop from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon prevented Dani Alves from doubling Barça's advantage just 10 minutes after their opener.

          As the half wore on, Juve began to steady the ship, and even enjoyed spells of possession in Barça's half. The “bianconeri” scarcely tested keeper Marc-André Stegen, though by the halftime whistle their deficit remained at a single goal. They may have been second-best, but the game was still alive.

               It stayed that way early into the second half, despite Barça looking back to their terrifying best. They'd cruised through most of the opening period, though they redoubled their efforts after the restart and went close thrice in the opening six minutes.

              However, goalscoring chances are only useful if you take them, and Barça's profligacy was swiftly punished just short of the hour. Carlos Tevez wriggled away from Gerard Piqué and drew a great save from Stegen, only for Álvaro Morata to tap home the rebound. Suddenly Juve were level and in the ascendancy.

             For the first time in the match shots began to rain down on the Barça goal, but they clung on. They also had a player called Messi. With just over 20 minutes to go, the Argentine wonder took the ball on the counter-attack and lashed a low shot towards goal. Buffon could only parry it straight into the path of Luis Suárez, who tapped into the empty net.

          It looked like Neymar had sealed Barça's victory a few minutes later, only for the referee to chalk his goal off for handball. Replays showed it had indeed come off his arm after he failed to make a clean contact with his forehead, but it certainly didn't look deliberate. He looked understandably aggrieved.

             That was until the seventh minute of stoppage time, when the Brazilian converted a quick counter-attack to score with the last kick of the match.

               The victory gives FC Barcelona their fourth Champions League title in the last 10 years — their fifth in team history — and an unprecedented second treble, adding a layer of reinforced concrete to the Catalans' already rock-solid status as a dynasty for the ages.

           While annual modifications to any top-tier squad are inevitable, a steady core of players — led by the Argentinian virtuoso Lionel Messi — has anchored the Catalan club during a run of footballing dominance the likes of which has never been witnessed before. Over the past decade Barça have scooped up titles at a prolific pace with an astounding haul of 24 major trophies in six different competitions.

             One of the main cogs to Barça's perennial juggernaut and perhaps the keymaster to the team's on-field personality and unmistakeable style of play has been midfielder and captain Xavi Hernández, who donned the blaugrana shirt for the final time on Saturday night and was duly ceded the prestigious honour of lifting the cup.

              For FC Barcelona's first-year head coach Luis Enrique Martínez, his immense first-year success mimics that of Pep Guardiola, who was also in his first year at the helm when Barça swept the same three titles back in the 2008/09 season. "Congratulations to all the Barça fans and family. It'll be a long night and then tomorrow we have the parade," Luis Enrique said on the field, before humbly adding, "After all these games, I'd just like to thank everyone who put their trust in me."

             Saturday's win means they'll now have a chance to equal their 2009 record take of six championships in one year. Winning La Liga, the Spanish Cup, and the Champions League has earned them another shot at the Spanish and European Super Cups — to be disputed in August — as well as the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled for December. Barça will almost certainly go into all three as the heavy favourites.