Outstanding

Easy?

The match was not that difficult to control, compared to Barcelona vs. Internazionale a fortnight ago for instance. However, it was the final of a fairly major international club competition, and to make it look as easy as Nicola Rizzoli did is indicative of a brilliant referee.

Decisions

I can't think of many decision that he or his assistants (or the assistant assistants) got wrong. Atletico Madrid were perhaps offside a couple of times, but it never mattered. He wasn't whistle-happy, only awarding 32 free kicks in the 90 + extra time, and all of the free kicks were warranted, along with two excellent advantages.

Cards

As few as four yellows in 120 minutes of football is testament to his match control. He used the "quiet word in the ear" technique very well, and avoided unnecessary bookings. He showed fantastic understanding of the game in the subtle way he booked Forlan (for stupidly removing his shirt after scoring the winner).

Congratulations (& sorry)

Rizzoli deserves the warmest congratulations for his rapid rise to the top, and for his near-perfect handling of this game. I personally owe him an apology; I was critical of him after the Manchester United v Bayern Munich quarter final, but I should have been praising him - he was superb in that match too, and my judgment was far too partisan. It is just a shame that such a fantastic referee won't be at the world cup, but his time will come.

Interview

His pre-match interview is here: http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=1487423.html He comes across as a very humble man, the sort of guy I would trust to referee a final. I'm glad UEFA had the courage to select him.