Real Madrid is an inevitability in the Champions League final. Los Blancos won their 15th Champions League title with a 2–0 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Madrid has won six titles in the past 11 years. Dortmund was looking for its second championship in club history.
Throughout the first half, Dortmund looked like the better club, frequently keeping the ball on the Madrid side of the field and creating multiple scoring chances. Yet Madrid didn't surrender a goal as the game went into halftime tied at 0–0.
Madrid looked to change tactics early in the second half and Vinicius Junior made a path toward the net that earned a free kick. But Toni Kroos' attempt went toward the top left corner and Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel tapped it away.
That was the beginning of Madrid taking more control and playing more aggressively. At the 73:30 mark, Dani Carvajal finally broke through with a header off a corner kick from Kroos that went high and wide left past Kobel for a 1–0 lead. That was Carvajal's sixth goal of the season, but his first in Champions League and obviously came at the best possible time for Madrid.
Shortly thereafter at 82:10, Vinicius took a pass from Jude Bellingham and sent it in for a 2–0 lead. Bellingham easily intercepted a centering pass from Ian Maatsen and found Vinicius streaking open for a clear shot and his 24th goal of the season.
Dortmund dominated the first half, but couldn't score
Dortmund missed several chances to score midway through the first half. Perhaps the best of them was from Niclas Füllkrug, whose shot past Thibaut Courtois hit the post.
Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt also had excellent chances to open the scoring, but were either forced wide of the net by defenders or a kick sailed wide.
The action frequently appeared to take place on Madrid's side of the field in the first half. But Dortmund couldn't break through.
While Madrid kept the match scoreless, Vinicius Junior had an opportunity at the 43:00 mark, streaking down the left side. However, Mats Hummels pushed Junior wide before he lost the ball on a slide tackle attempt.
It's over!
• Real Madrid, European champions for the 15th time, more than twice as often as any other club.
• They've won six in the last 11 years; only one other club has won more than six in the entire seven-decade history of the competition.
• Dortmund gave it quite a run in the first half, but didn't have the quality. And the inevitable, in the end, was indeed inevitable.
I really appreciate your insights on the Real Madrid vs. Dortmund game! It’s great to see such engaging content about these iconic teams.
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