Real Madrid came back from 2-0 down at the Santiago Bernabéu to defeat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in a replay of last season’s Champions League final.
The visitors started very well, with goals from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens giving them a two goal lead at half time.
But come the second half, Real Madrid put on a show. Vinícius Jr. notched an incredible hat-trick, with Antonio Rüdiger and Lucas Vázquez scoring the other two. After underwhelming in their favourite competition this season, this was a result Los Blancos badly needed.
As it happened
It’s all still a bit raw for Borussia Dortmund. The Wembley arch, the Karim Adeyemi misses, the Dani Carvajal dagger to the heart. This was the clash which, five months ago in the Champions League final, could’ve immortalised this Schwarzgelben side. Instead, Real Madrid did what they do best.
So, this reunion was all about revenge for Nuri Şahin and co., with this something of a role reversal; Dortmund were top of the Champions League table at kick off, in no small part thanks to their 7-1 drubbing of Celtic on matchday two. Real Madrid, perennial European champions, on the other hand, had just lost 1-0 away at Lille. If ever there was a time to wound the king, it was now.
The game started slowly; Real Madrid looked up for it, but wanting to win and creating chances are two separate things. Besides a flurry of corners, they were much too impotent to make the most of an opening ten minutes of dominance.
But that control would soon stop. All of a sudden, Borussa Dortmund had all the ball. Initially, they were slow to create anything either; Serhou Guirassy hit an early strike straight at Thibaut Courtois, but besides that there were no shots to speak of. The game felt cagey. The hosts sat back and let Dortmund pass the ball around to their heart’s content, goading them even. Then everything changed.
On the half-hour mark, Dortmund made a foray towards the Real Madrid penalty area, a move which had defined the last 15 minutes or so. This time, though, they were able to unlock the defence. Julian Brandt won a tussle with Lucas Vázquez just on the edge of the box. He found Donyell Malen just inside it, a one-two with Guirassy to follow. When the Dutch international darted goalwards, the defence trying to stop him was static. Totally free, he had no problem slotting the ball past Courtois.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis wasn’t supposed to happen. Borussia Dortmund had only ever won three games in Spain and none in seven attempts at the Bernabéu. But there they were, one up, Los Blancos shell shocked.
Would the record-champions respond? No. Not at all.
Instead, four minutes after their first, Dortmund would double up – and in many ways, Real Madrid did not learn their lesson. Malen was involved once more, this time turning provider. After making light work of Ferland Mendy to break into the area, he played a simple ball into the six-yard box. Corridor of uncertainty breached, the home side needed someone alert to the danger. Instead, Jamie Gittens drifted to the unguarded back post, entirely unmarked once more. He’ll never tap home an easier goal.
Evidently one goal was not enough to spark a reaction from the home side, because as soon as they went two down they burst into life. They were just missing one thing, though: their shooting boots.
Immediately after the second goal, Vinícius Jr. drove down the left-hand side as he does so well, and lofted a teasing ball into the area. Jude Bellingham latched onto it, totally unmarked, and headed an effort directly into the arms of Gregor Kobel. The keeper didn’t have to move.
Two minutes after that (and only seven minutes after Malen’s opener) saw the most remarkable passage of play in the game, and possibly in this Champions League season so far. Another teasing ball breached the Dortmund box, with Rodrygo meeting it with an acrobatic volley. His effort was hard, clean, and crashed off the bar and back into the area. There it found Bellingham, who took a touch to set himself up before trying his luck too. His effort was hard, clean, and crashed off the bar. The pair of shots – not even five seconds apart – may well have hit the exact same part of the crossbar, too.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was an incredible seven-minute period to end a quite brilliant first half of football. Dortmund, even doing as well as they have been in this competition, surely couldn’t have dreamt of such an advantage at the Bernabéu. Pretty soon, though, the dream would become a nightmare.
After fifteen minutes of Real Madrid shots followed by Dortmund blocks, they’d finally sharpen the tip of their attacking spear. Kylian Mbappé, little more than a bystander until this point, found a pocket of space on the right-hand side. After turning Nico Schlotterbeck inside out, he found just enough room to send a teasing cross into the area. Cometh the hour, cometh Antonio Rüdiger, who rose highest to power a header into the back of the net.
Game on. What happened next mirrored the first half almost eerily; two minutes after scoring their first, they’d notch the second. It started with Luka Modrić, Real Madrid’s oldest ever player. He played one of those balls he’s famous for, slipping Mbappé into the area. Through on goal, a tackle with Julian Ryerson saw the ball squirm across the face of goal, where Vinícius Jr. was waiting to tap home. Unmarked, just like Gittens in the first half. In a flash, they’d tied things up. That’s Real Madrid for you; they’re European champions for a reason.
After the equaliser, Dortmund hardly got a sniff. The hosts attacked and attacked, relying on blocks from Waldemar Anton, saves from Kobel, and occasionally dumb luck to keep them level. For almost 20 minutes, Real Madrid pounded on the yellow door until it was hanging off its hinges; but it was still attached. Just.
That was until the 83rd minute. After squandering a big opportunity at the other end, Dortmund would fall thin at the back. The ball found itself at the feet of Vázquez. One smart, quick give and go with Mbappé later, he was through on goal, the angle albeit a tad narrower than he might’ve liked – but that wasn’t an issue. He lined up and fired the ball with venom into the far corner past Kobel, the Swiss international flatfooted. Real Madrid, from 2-0 down, had won it.
Then they made it four. These are the Galacticos; they always put on a show. It was Vinícius Jr. to score the clincher, and it was glorious. Driving from the middle of his own half, he cut past a tiring Niklas Süle and curled the ball from distance into the bottom corner. He may well win the Ballon d’Or in a week’s time, and this was certainly a goal befitting of that accolade.
Embed from Getty ImagesNot content with just a brace, he went on to make it a brilliant hat-trick. Pascal Groß, Süle and Anton all tried to stop him; none had any chance. Vinícius Jr. spun past the lot of them, before smashing his finish into Kobel’s near post. He may be Real Madrid’s star man, but there was something distinctly Messi-esque about those late goals.
The champions had won, and they’d won in some style. Their second win of the Champions League season has sent them up to 9th in the table, behind 8th place Bayer Leverkusen only on goal difference. It was hair-raising, but it was Real Madrid all over; it was a classic.
For Dortmund, though, this result is a bitter pill to swallow. A win would’ve kept them top. It would’ve been their first ever at this ground. They’re still in the top eight, they’re still in a good spot to qualify for the round of 16.
That said, the most damning consequence of this result may well be the old wounds it opened. In a case of repeat or revenge from the Champions League final, it was decidedly repeat. When Real Madrid are in the mood, they’re just unstoppable; Borussia Dortmund now know that more than most.
The lineups
RMA: Courtois; Mendy, Rüdiger, Militão, Vázquez; Bellingham, Modrić, Valverde; Vinícius Jr., Mbappé, Rodrygo
BVB: Kobel; Bensebaini, Schlotterbeck, Süle, Ryerson; Nmecha, Sabitzer; Malen, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
