…Beat Dortmund 2-0 in Wembley
Real Madrid was crown king of Europe yet again for the 15th time on a night when the entire continent and by extension, the world was awake to the beautiful game of football and the biggest continental club competition.
All hail the new King of Europe, as the Spaniards produced another breath taking second half performance to silence the Yellow Wall in London to extend the Germans search for trophy.
Madrid were the huge favourites going in to the game, the Spanish side were outplayed for long periods but broke Dortmund’s resistance with late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.
Dortmund, who were seeking for their first title since 2021, dominated the game in the first half, but was purnished for their wasteful chances in the first 45 minutes.
The Germans had eight shots in the first half, with striker Niclas Fullkrug hitting the post, while Madrid was missing in action with no shot on target.
However, Madrid broke the deadlock in the 74th minutes with Dani Carvajal giving the Los Blancos the lead before Vinicius Junior made it two in the 85th minutes.
“At 23 years and 325 days, @realmadriden attacker @Vinijr has become the youngest player in history to score in two Champions League finals after doing so in 2022 vs Liverpool, surpassing Leo Messi’s record (23a 338d in 2011). Gold,” OptaJose poster on his official X handle @OptaJose
Madrid make a double change and it’s a chance for Kroos to say goodbye to the fans. He shows plenty of emotion as he leaves the field for the final time in a Madrid shirt.
Joselu came on for Kroos, with Jude Bellingham also making way for Luka Modric.
Bellingham was left cold in London as the Englishman was missing in action for the first 45 minutes of the encounter.
The Dortmund fans did not just travel to England to feel the beauty of the Wembley Stadium, rather they traveled to London with their ‘Yellow Wall’ on the night for European glory.
According to Peter Smith, the noise from the Dortmund end was at a different level long before the match got underway with their players out warming up in front of the fans.
“Flags are being waved, scarves are being twirled and yellow-shirted conductors are directing the chanting through megaphones. An awesome noise,” Smith said.
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones described Ancelotti as a master of cup finals. According to him, Ancelotti’s record in Champions League or domestic cup finals equates to winning eight times out of nine.
“The only blot on his copybook was Liverpool’s extraordinary comeback in Istanbul when AC Milan raced into a 3-0 lead only to be pegged back lose on penalties.
“He now stands one win away from a fifth Champions League win as a coach. No-one has won four, let alone five and he also has the tag of becoming the first coach to win the title in all five major European leagues. Nobody does it better,” Jones said.
Jose Mourinho makes a pertinent point at the end of the game.
Real Madrid don’t sell a philosophy – they put trophies in their trophy cabinet, he says.
“Ask the fans if they care” about how they played in the first half, or during the game against Manchester City, he adds.
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