Borussia Dortmund will wonder how it came to this, but just ask Bayern Munich. Manchester City might also lend a sympathetic ear. The defeated finalists are just the latest to be blindsided by a Real Madrid side.
Bayern were still believing they would go to Wembley until the 88th minute of their Champions League semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu, after City had 33 shots in the quarter-final second leg but still lost on penalties.
For Dortmund, the moment came and went in the first 45 minutes of the Champions League final. Edin Terzic’s team had seven of eight shots from inside the box. “We just couldn’t score,” Terzic said after the game. “That was the key.”
Two chances in particular would haunt them. Karim Adeyemi tried to get past Thibaut Courtois but that only made the chance more difficult. Niklas Flukluk beat the keeper but couldn’t reach the far post. Three minutes before history overtook them.
It’s a strange feeling that every time Dortmund narrowly misses out, the certainty that Real Madrid will win grows, so much so that they control minds and have a firm grip on this trophy: their 15th European title.
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Sky Sports’ Gail Davies and Kaveh Solhekolu discuss Real Madrid’s incredible performance as they became European champions for the 15th time.
No other club has lifted the trophy half as many times – only AC Milan have won more in the past decade or in the club’s entire history. Dortmund will be bitter about their result, but it was Madrid who made sure they were on the winning side.
Dortmund came out on the offensive early on, exploiting gaps in the Madrid defence and then, after long periods of passive play, other teams would have been shaken, but the goal conceded doesn’t seem to have dented their confidence, as Dortmund failed to strike the decisive blow.
They say finals are not played but won, but there are enough determined winners in this Madrid team to keep their focus on victory even as the pressure mounts, so Dani Carvajal’s victory as man of the match seemed especially fitting.
Paco Gento’s six European Cup wins are the stuff of legend, a mythical total that seems out of reach as 25 years have passed without the team holding the trophy. four Real Madrid players have now won the competition six times.
The opening goal came from two goals – Toni Kroos, in his final club game, crossed and Carvajal headed in. The 32-year-old full-back had last scored in this competition nine years ago, but this group of players has a habit of finding the right moment.
Toni Kroos celebrates Real Madrid’s Champions League final victory
Consider Courtois. This was his first Champions League appearance of the season and he was back in the limelight with four appearances and four clean sheets since recovering from a serious knee injury. He was again flawless and unstoppable.
Jude Bellingham struggled through much of the game, pulled muscles showing he was not at his best, but he assisted on the second goal and then collapsed to the ground crying tears of joy, calling it the best night of his young life.
At 20 years old, he’s already English football’s greatest export, been named Player of the Year in both Germany and Spain and won the Champions League after the best debut season of all time. Of course, it helps to have Vinicius Junior in the mix.
The Brazilian scored the only goal against Liverpool in the 2022 final, where his second ended Dortmund’s hopes of a comeback. Like Bellingham, he was not at his best but there was no mercy. “The momentum has changed. You can see why they are the champions,” Terzic said.
Both were substituted before the end of the game to great fanfare. The pair are now among the foremost heroes in European football after the loss of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ballon d’Or is surely in store for Vinicius.
Luka Modric had already won it. At 38, he was the oldest player to appear in a Champions League final since Paolo Maldini did so with Milan in 2007. Who was Milan’s manager on that day 17 years ago? Carlo Ancelotti, of course.
What else is there to say about a coach whose understated style continues to be at odds with his extraordinary achievements? With seven trophies to his name – two as a player and five as a manager – he continues to find a way.
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Watch as Real Madrid fans celebrate the Champions League victory at the Bernabéu
A winning team led by the ultimate winner? This time an intervention was necessary; a subtle tactical adjustment at half-time was all it took to turn the game in his favour. “At the end of the first half we were very calm,” Ancelotti said.
“There was no need to get angry. We just needed to clarify some points. It was clear how Dortmund wanted to play. We lost our balance and we needed to manage their transitions better. I thought it would be better for us to change the system and have more players in midfield.”
A set-piece goal and a misplaced pass from Dortmund was all it took to swing the final in his favour once again, making Alex Ferguson the last manager to beat Real Madrid in a European final – against Aberdeen – more than 40 years ago.
Terzic fell just short, and so did his Dortmund team – Dortmund fans held up a banner before kick-off that read: “We’re back in town to take the crown” – but the European champions held on, and Real Madrid’s crown was clearer than ever.
