Real Madrid beat Dortmund reaction (2024)

Ruthless Real Madrid rode their luck against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium before striking twice late on to claim a fifteenth Champions League crown.

Dortmund dominated an exciting opening half, with Karim Adeyemi missing two fine chances and striker Niclas Fullkrug then hitting the post.

And the German side were made to pay when Real came out on top late on. Dani Carvajal broke the deadlock with a header before the impressive Vinicius Junior scored to secure a 2-0 victory.

Victory sealed a record-extending fifth Champions League title for coach Carlo Ancelotti, his third with Real Madrid.

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Big changes coming to the Champions League next season. The number of teams competing will increase from 32 to 36, meaning there will be 189 matches instead of 125, and the group stage will be replaced by a league phase — otherwise known as the “Swiss model”.

Each team will be guaranteed to play eight matches in the league phase of which they will play half at home and half away.

The top eight sides in the league will qualify for the knockout stage. Those finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in two-legged play-offs to determine who joins the top eight in the last-16.

You can read more about it here.

Where has this Borussia Dortmund been? At their worst during the Bundesliga season, they were almost unwatchable. But the word most often used to describe them? Boring — and historically that is something that Dortmund have never been, whatever their limitations.

The tenor of their performance at Wembley was completely different. In fact, the biggest compliment Edin Terzic’s side could be paid is that, for that first 45 minutes they played with the heart of a Jurgen Klopp team.

It’s not original to contrast Dortmund’s domestic and European form, but this was a level beyond anything they had produced before. It was football of a quality befitting the occasion. Football that nobody thought BVB to be capable of.

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For a long time on Saturday night it seemed like Vinicius Junior’s biggest moments were without the ball amid a frustrating first half.

But Vinicius Jr is made of stern stuff, and soon turned things around, both for himself and the team. Two Champions League finals, two victories, and two goals for Vini now.

His night did not start that great, but it ended in triumph. In the end, none of Dortmund’s pressure or the chances they created will matter. Nobody recalls any of the other teams that Real have upended, do they?

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If you looked at any prediction models or betting odds, you would have seen that Real Madrid were the obvious favourites — not just to win the final but to be the dominant side across the game.

But just as Borussia Dortmund have done in Europe all season, they ensured that the narrative did not follow the direction that many expected during the first half of Wembley’s final.

Dortmund’s performance was strong — arguably their strongest of the season — but Madrid have a narrative of their own. One that sees them regularly underperform but still come out on top as the final reflected their whole European campaign.

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Dani Carvajal was the unlikely hero. He was a surprise scorer, but maybe should not have been. Finally free of injuries which have dogged him through recent seasons, Carvajal already had five goals and five assists in all competitions this season.

He is also a hugely important character in the dressing room, setting standards and demanding intensity, along with fellow long-serving home-grown players Nacho and Lucas Vazquez.

That historic moment came more than two decades after, as a 10-year-old, he was selected to join Alfredo Di Stefano in laying the first stone at the club’s Valdebebas training facility. As he won his sixth Champions League medal, Carvajal confirmed his place alongside Di Stefano as a Blancos legend.

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We had all seen this movie before: Real Madrid pitch up in a Champions League final, stumble out of the blocks, seem to be there for the taking, ride their luck … but still prevail.

It happened against Atletico Madrid in 2014 and Liverpool 2022 and to a lesser extent in 2018. As one Dortmund chance after another went begging in the first half, you just knew how this was going to end.

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The final, the showpiece of the European club game, was the biggest men’s match at the national stadium since England’s penalty shootout defeat against Italy that turned into a “day of national shame” with 19 police officers injured and more than 50 arrests.

The opening of the game was deeply embarrassing for the organisers as three separate pitch invasions by individuals delayed the start. A fourth attempted to join the three on the field but was stopped by stewards. The match was then restarted after a short disruption of around two minutes.

Real Madrid won a 15th Champions League title after withstanding a hugely impressive Borussia Dortmund performance to triumph at Wembley thanks to late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.

Here, The Athletic’s writers analyse the game.

Click below for the full piece, but we'll also bring you all the instant reaction and analysis from our writers in this live blog.

Victorious manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the departing Toni Kroos in his post-match press conference, saying: "I’m really grateful to him. He has finished at the very top. There’s no way of finishing in a higher position than this. He had the balls to finish it.

"He is a legend in this club and all the Real Madrid fans are grateful for him for what he has done – not only for his game but his attitude, his professionalism. Never missed a single day. I’ve said to him, we’re waiting. If you change your mind, we’re here waiting for you.

"My son (Davide) is my assistant coach, we're a family, Real Madrid is a family. It’s a footballing family, a very healthy, clean atmosphere, it’s fantastic for the structure. Working in a family is better than working in an industry.

"Every day at Valdebebas, with my son next to me, that helps me because he can tell me things that other people wouldn’t be able to tell me."

Real Madrid goalscorer Dani Carvajal, speaking post-match about his reaction when he scored, said: "Well, I just ran to celebrate. Inside I had some anger really — just saying 'Here I am.'

"It’s not all about height. You need to be there, jump for the ball, show determination. Sometimes the shortest players can score headers too.

"The goal just says how confident I was really. When I heard the final whistle I was really emotional. I arrived here being a kid. I'm still here now with children.

"Over 20 years defending the colours of Real Madrid and making history with this team. It’s a fantastic feeling. We want to celebrate today and enjoy it because we deserved it."

Another gutting defeat for Borussia Dortmund.

They were excellent in the first half, but two familiar problems – set-piece defending and sloppy passing across the defence – cost them.

It feels like they lost it more than Real Madrid won it.

Speaking after the final, Dani Carvajal addressed joining the ultra-exclusive club of six-time winners of this tournament: "Well I’m very happy joining this select club of players that have won six European Cups. Every time we get one it’s harder to take it away from us. I’m really happy because I played all six in the starting XI in the team of my life. It’s a dream for me.

"If I could speak to Paco Gento, I would say it seemed impossible to join this club of six European Cups when I started out."

A quick round-up of some of the milestone numbers reached tonight, because they bear repeating:

• Real Madrid have won the European Cup/Champions League final for the 15th time (against just three losses), more than double every other team in history.
• Carlo Ancelotti has won the competition for the fifth time as a manager, which is at least twice more than anyone else.
• Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Nacho Fernandez have won it for the sixth time, tying Paco Gento for the most all-time.

One more from the Dortmund boss, because the questions now start to gain traction over the future of their on-loan winger Jadon Sancho and his Manchester United future. Here's what Edin Terzic said tonight:

💬 "The last six months, Jadon has been brilliant for us. He didn’t only improve his game, but improved all the players around him.

"I didn’t speak about the future because we’ve been talking about the present: playing in this final in his home town; a really special moment for him.

"You can feel the joy he receives and brings to the dressing room. I’m very happy to work with J. We don’t know yet what the future will bring, but it will bring for him another Champions League final."

Jude Bellingham caught the attention of European football while at Borussia Dortmund. Now he's a Champions League winner with Real Madrid.

That will benefit Dortmund financially, but what did Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic say to his former midfielder on the Wembley turf at full-time? Here's Terzic speaking to TNT Sports just now:

💬 "When he left us, I said the same thing I said to Erling Haaland, that I was proud to be their manager…and I was there when they won their first cup, but that I was pretty sure I wouldn't be around when they won their first Champions League. Erling did it last season, and unfortunately I was here when Jude did it, even though we tried to avoid this.

"It’s a very proud moment for him, so congratulations to the whole family. I know what (dad) Mark, (mum) Denise and (brother) Jobe are doing to get this success in the family, and big congratulations to them all."

Federico Valverde spoke to Movistar TV after the final: "We really suffered, particularly throughout the first half, because Dortmund really played well. They were so quick on their counters and they had some clear chances. I'm happy to congratulate our rival for how they played, but I'm happier that we won.

"The boss made little alterations to try and change the balance. He called me over quite a few times, but I understood what he wanted more or less, and when we changed to a 4-3-3, that helped, it gave us equilibrium.

"Tomorrow we'll celebrate, a real party. But tomorrow, too, we'll be telling each other how important it is to win this again next year."

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was at his eloquent best, speaking to TNT Sports just now:

💬 "We gave them a really good game and showed everyone we were here to win, not just to play. We were very close and only small things were missing, but congratulations to them to keep this hunger to win it again. You see why they are the true champions.

"My first feeling is pride. We brought nearly 100,000 people from Dortmund to London and we all had belief. It was a fantastic journey for this campaign. But it is also a bit empty inside because it was a great opportunity, and unfortunately we didn’t make it.

"But I saw what we did every day to get here. How much desire, pain and hard work was left on the training ground for 333 days in 214 sessions. The biggest challenge we face now is to keep our belief high, because everything in life starts with belief."

Movistar TV reporter Sergio Sanchez has reported from Wembley that some Real Madrid players were very angry at UEFA, as family members who had bracelets (allowing them onto the pitch) were initially not allowed down to celebrate with them.

This was as the images showed Bellingham with his family members on the pitch, showing off his medal.

Thibaut Courtois, who kept another clean sheet in a Champions League final today, admitted to Movistar TV after the match that he struggled this season due to his long absence through injury.

He said: "It was a very long, very difficult year, with lots of support from my team-mates, medical staff and fans. I am happy to end it like this, with a clean sheet.

"I was relaxed. The mister (Ancelotti) knows me, Andriy (Lunin) had a good year, and we have to thank him. I knew I was ready, from the games I played, and training at a high level.

"You'd have to ask the boss what would have happened if Lunin had not been sick. He has a lot of confidence in me and I am happy to be able to return that confidence."