Despite having several top players, this Madrid team is odd since they frequently do not work well together. Before deciding to play the hits and shift the tide of the match, they flirted with humiliation against Dortmund, cheered on by the Bernabeu audience.
They played poorly in the first half, being timid to attack, weak in defense, and nonexistent in midfield. Under the leadership of the indomitable Vinícius Júnior, they appeared to be an unstoppable force of nature in the second half. In what could be his finest effort to date, the Brazilian scored a hat trick. This was worthy of a Ballon d'Or. He may have one by the end of this month.
Never once did Madrid fail to go past the group stage in the previous Champions League era. They were likely to lose two of their first three games in the new league phase. Tuesday's first-half performance, falling behind Dortmund 2-0 and giving up twice in four minutes, made their 1-0 loss to Lille on matchday two appear more like a trend than an anomaly. Madrid had nine chances there with an xG (expected goals) of 2.18 but lost 1-0.
Despite their poor performance this season, Madrid has won games and is undefeated in La Liga. Ahead of kickoff here, there was hope, anticipation, and excitement, as well as the sense of a major European match and a rematch of the Wembley final from the previous season. The thousands of traveling Dortmund supporters created a positive mood. Their well-coordinated mass bouncing caused the Bernabeu press box desks to softly move up and down throughout the stadium halfway through the first half. They had every reason to cheer on their team on the field.
A well-executed team play put Donyell Malen on the ball, in space, in front of goalie Thibaut Courtois for the first goal after thirty-one minutes. Three minutes later, Malen's cross found Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who ran past a sleeping Lucas Vázquez at the far post to score Dortmund's second goal.
After three straight games on the bench, Rodrygo returned to the starting lineup in his favorite tournament. Jude Bellingham struck the woodwork within seconds, igniting Madrid's fire. However, Dortmund again had the best chance to score a third goal before halftime, but Courtois saved Julian Brandt at full stretch.
After three straight games on the bench, Rodrygo returned to the starting lineup in his favorite tournament. Jude Bellingham struck the woodwork within seconds, igniting Madrid's fire. However, Dortmund again had the best chance to score a third goal before halftime, but Courtois saved Julian Brandt at full stretch.
With a sting of pride, the Bernabeu audience whistled their squad off the field at halftime. A response seemed all but certain in the second half. After a tense wait for an on-field offside ruling to be reversed, Vinícius made it 2-2 minutes later. Antonio Rüdiger's strong header from Kylian Mbappé's cross made it 2-1 in the 60th minute.
Madrid then had to wait. As Dortmund attempted to hold on and occasionally threaten, if they could, on the break, they pushed for a victory. Vazquez gave Madrid their third goal when it came, and Vinícius' incredible late double sealed the victory. By the final whistle, Madrid's dismal first half had faded into the past, and the victory was ultimately so resounding and comfortable that the previous half could hardly be considered significant.
Vinícius will make headlines as the game's best player after carrying the match ball off the field. Even though Madrid's first-half failures indicate there are still many causes for concern, things do not get much better as they prepare for Saturday's La Liga El Clásico against Barcelona.
Vinícius will make headlines as the game's best player after carrying the match ball off the field. Even though Madrid's first-half failures indicate there are still many causes for concern, things do not get much better as they prepare for Saturday's La Liga El Clásico against Barcelona.
Even with a loss, Madrid might have advanced to the knockout stage due to the new Champions League structure, which only eliminates 12 of the 36 teams after the league phase. It is also important to keep in mind that they occasionally made mistakes on the group stage do you recall Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol's 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu in 2021? Later that season, Madrid won the Champions League.
However, this was not a mistake in the end. As usual, everything went according to plan. Following this second half, Madrid will be considered one of the favorites to win the championship once more in 2025. And it is difficult to dispute when Vinicius is in this kind of unplayable condition.
However, this was not a mistake in the end. As usual, everything went according to plan. Following this second half, Madrid will be considered one of the favorites to win the championship once more in 2025. And it is difficult to dispute when Vinicius is in this kind of unplayable condition.