“In this cup and in this place, anything can happen,” Vinícius Júnior whispered, barely audible amidst the chaos and noise following another night of surprises. Real Madrid, as they often do, lived up to their name. One hundred and forty-three days after their clash at Wembley, the Champions League finalists faced each other again. Borussia Dortmund struck twice in 35 minutes, the quickest any team had scored two goals here in nearly two decades. But Real Madrid responded with five goals even faster.
“We went into halftime terrified, but we listened, we said to get the first goal, and we’ll come back,” the Brazilian confessed afterward. And so it happened. Madrid entered the second half 2-0 down, with goals from Donyell Malen and Reading-born Jamie Bynoe-Gittens giving Dortmund a deserved lead. A banner at the south end before the game proclaimed this as Madrid’s crown and cup, but at that moment, it seemed Dortmund’s night. History, however, has often warned otherwise, and here it repeated itself. Goals from Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, and a hat-trick from Vinícius sealed the deal, leading to a 5-2 victory accompanied by chants of “this is how Madrid win!” Indeed.
The match was filled with thunderous moments, but the touch that ignited it all was exquisite—soft, subtle, as if Serhou Guirassy had worn carpet slippers to the Santiago Bernabéu. An €18m summer signing from Stuttgart, he arrived with seven goals in seven games, but this time, he chose not to shoot. Instead, he received a loose ball in the area with his back to Rüdiger, controlled it, and swept it on the turn across the turf. The gap between Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy was closing, but not quickly enough. Malen seized the opportunity, alone in front of Thibaut Courtois to open the scoring.
The goal Dortmund couldn’t score in London, they managed in Madrid, and soon they doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark. No team had done this to Real Madrid so swiftly in 18 years. The goal was superbly executed; again, Madrid were slow to react, easily sliced open. Julian Brandt initiated the move, finding Malen on the right, who surged past Mendy to the byline and pulled it back across the six-yard box. There, Gittens headed in on a diagonal dash from the right wing, a move Vázquez didn’t see until it was too late.
At 20 years and 75 days, Gittens became the youngest Englishman ever to score against Madrid. His expression spoke volumes about the significance of the moment. He pointed and thanked Malen, then blew off the smoke from his finger pistols, wearing a sharpshooter’s smile. Éder Militão clenched his fists, covered his face, and then beat the turf, unable to believe what was happening. By the end, it would be even harder to comprehend, except through the inevitability of the team they faced.
From the Bernabéu came whistles, which at least roused the hosts. Madrid immediately created chances. Jude Bellingham had the first, but his header went straight at the keeper. Rodrygo controlled on his chest, turned, and volleyed a shot against the bar. The ball dropped to Bellingham, who smashed it back, hitting the bar again, bouncing down on the line and out. Almost as quickly, Brandt sent the ball looping towards the goal, but Kobel saved it. Dortmund survived three near misses in as many seconds.
Madrid departed to whistles at halftime but returned to roars. The Bernabéu’s soundtrack to countless comebacks filled the air. Listless before, Madrid now showed aggression, pace, and intent. Kobel saved from Vázquez and Vinícius, the storm stirring. While Malen was denied by Courtois, Dortmund retreated deeper into their area, Sahin’s decision to replace Gittens with defender Waldemar Anton inviting the siege. When Rüdiger thudded in a header from Mbappé’s cross on the 59th minute, the lid was off, the volume rising.
Two minutes later, Madrid equalized, celebrated twice. Mbappé went down inside the right side of the area, the ball ran to Vinícius, who put it into an open net. The flag was up, the eruption put on hold. The wait was long, but it was worth it, the goal given back. Less than 20 minutes into the second half, Madrid had racked up 10 shots and weren’t about to stop; Dortmund, overwhelmed, only wished they would.
Dortmund might have weathered the worst of the storm, but facing Real Madrid, that’s often the moment you lose it. With nine minutes left, they ventured out, Beier, Brandt, and Can leading the charge, space opening before them. The move went from right to left and back again, Beier eventually turning near the top of the six-yard box and firing at goal, but Courtois saved with his foot. Forty-six seconds later, Vázquez smashed the ball beyond Kobel at the near post. There was still time for Vinícius to score two more, adding to the madness. Dortmund were done; Madrid were not. Madrid never are.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
