Just like a triumphant king claims his throne, in an obedient course of events as if the football God had scripted himself, Real Madrid ascends to unparalleled heights, claiming their 15th UEFA Champions League title, putting an unsweetened end to Borussia Dortmund’s European fairytale at the Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.
With the win in Wembley, Real Madrid seals their sixth European title in the last 11 seasons taking it to a supreme league where only they themselves can surpass their supremacy.
Real captain Nacho Fernandes scored the opener from Toni Kroos’ corner, who in fact, played the last game in the white jersey before Vinicius Junior put the final nail in Dortmund’s coffin when he scored the second the second past Gregor Kobel.
With scoring the winner for Madrid, Vinicius became the eighth player in history to score in multiple Champions League finals. The Brazilian sensation won both the finals he played in for Madrid and scored in both of them.
As of last summer, the core of the golden Real Madrid team that won three UCLs in a row had already left the club. After Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s highest goal scorer, left the club in 2017, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, and lastly Karim Benzema left the club to take on new challenges. This Madrid side was supposed to be in a transition period, but the club’s president, Florentino Perez had other plans when he brought Carlo Ancelotti back to take over.
Real’s latest star signing was Jude Bellingham whom they brought from their UCL final opposition Borussia Dortmund last summer. The Englishman was one of the key members this time in Real’s UCL triumphant.
However, Real did not play as well as they would have liked to from the start as Dortmund got the best of them multiple times in the first half of the game. Niclas Fullkrug missed a sitter as he hit the woodwork before Karim Adeyemi forced Thibaut Courtois into an acrobatic save in a one-on-one situation.
Real Madrid did not take long to turn the screw in their favour. Returning from the half-time break, the Spanish giants took control of the game as they managed 58% possession of the ball, and made 13 attempts on the Dortmund post; six of those tested Kobel.
Missing killer instinct
While Vinicius Junior and Real captain Nacho scored the last-minute goals, Borussia Dortmund camp could only blame themselves for not utilising the chances they had created in the first half as they saw European glory fading away.
The 2-0 scoreline does not tell the whole story of the game as the German side had 2.08 xG compared to Real’s 1.13. Dortmund forwards missed multiple scoring opportunities that could have carried them to the trophy.
"We showed a lot of courage, heart and footballing skill. We missed out on scoring and then conceded the goal. That's how they always do it," Hummels said while speaking with Germany's ZDF network.
"That shows their quality, but it also took a bit of luck today."
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said his side "deserved a little bit more but lacked the killer instinct".
"Above all in the first half, we had the feeling that we had them. From the first second, we showed them that we’re here to win it."
A brilliant pass by Mats Hummels put Adeyemi clean through, but he took a heavy touch under pressure from Courtois and ran too wide before his shot was blocked by Carvajal.
Fuellkrug's barrel-chested physique has made him a fan favourite in his first season at Dortmund.
The German international striker came closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time when his effort from Ian Maatsen's through ball came back off the inside of the post.
Adeyemi was then denied once more by Courtois from a narrow angle and Fuellkrug could not twist his frame to turn in the rebound.
"We didn’t show the efficiency to score. We were close to taking the lead but then there was a momentum shift where the game turned around and you see why they are the champions of this competition," Dortmund boss Edin Terzic told AFP after the match.
