Real Madrid demonstrated their lethal prowess by scoring two decisive goals in the second half to triumph over Borussia Dortmund during the Wembley match and secure their 15th Champions League title. Despite a challenging start, Madrid managed to comeback with goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior, sealing a 2-0 win.
Prior to the match, Carlo Ancelotti had cautioned his team about succumbing to the pressure and nerves, something that unfortunately held true for a majority of the game. However, they overcame this hurdle and found a path to victory.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, returning from a season-long absence after two major knee surgeries, was instrumental in keeping the team in the game with his crucial saves. Dortmund, on the other hand, were let down by their own inability to convert promising opportunities into goals. Notably, Niclas Fullkrug hit the post, missing a valuable chance in the first half.
Following the disruptions caused by pitch invaders at the start of the game, Dortmund held the upper hand and showed a stronger play. This was acknowledged by their former manager, Jurgen Klopp who was present at the stadium. Yet, it was Madrid’s determination that triumphed, continuing their winning streak.
Madrid’s record remains unbroken, having not lost a major European final since their 1983 defeat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen. However, there were moments of uncertainty in this match, where Madrid was seen as struggling.
Julian Brandt missed a significant early opportunity that set the tone for Edin Terzic’s team. Later, a golden chance to tip the scales was wasted by Karim Adeyemi who failed to get past Courtois due to a faulty touch. Still, Dortmund continued to pressure Madrid, with Fullkrug narrowly missing a goal and Adeyemi’s speed proving troublesome for Madrid.
Signs of strain began to show among Madrid’s ranks, culminating in Vinicius’ late challenge on Dortmund’s goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, for which he was cautioned. Despite the shaky performance, Madrid remained focused and ultimately managed to secure the victory.
Courtois had an unsteady start as he grappled with a long-distance shot from Marcel Sabitzer which took an awkward bounce in front of him. Real finally started to stir into action post half-time, with Kobel thwarting a Toni Kroos’ free-kick and an ensuing header from Carvajal that could have broken the stalemate.
Courtois was soon called back to duty as he adeptly saved a header from Fulkrug while Bellingham failed to capitalise on a following opportunity for Madrid. Dortmund’s backline, however, repeated their mistakes as a corner from Kroos found Carvajal, who guided it past Kobel to score, putting Ancelotti’s team in the lead with just 16 minutes to spare.
Kobel did his best to hold back a subsequent free-kick from Kroos, a sweeping shot from Eduardo Camavinga and a header from Nacho with Real aiming to solidify their lead in the final moments of the game. However, Vinicius doubled the lead, capitalising on a misplaced pass from Maatsen and a setup from Bellingham.
Fullkrug’s hopes of pulling one back for Dortmund were dashed as his goal was disallowed due to an offside. Yet, Carvajal, Modric, Nacho and the soon-to-retire Kroos had the last laugh as they marked a historic sixth European cup victory, leaving Dortmund reminiscing on their past defeat to Bayern Munich at Wembley 11 years prior.