London: Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior scored the goals as Real Madrid overcame a spirited Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to clinch the record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League title at Wembley Stadium in London.
The match started with both teams weighing the other up and with hardly any dangerous moves until the quarter of an hour mark. Then Vini Jr. tried his luck with a left-footed shot from inside the area that went high.
After the Brazilian’s shot, Borussia Dortmund’s turn created a succession of unsuccessful chances. The first was clear and Adeyemi was one-on-one with Courtois, who was cleverly on hand in the 21st minute to narrow the angle and see the shot turned away by Carvajal.
Dortmund were causing a lot of damage on the counter-attack and they did so again in 28 minutes, but Courtois was sharp to keep out Adeyemi’s angled drive. The last chance before the break came in the 41st minute when the Whites’ keeper pushed away Sabitzer’s strike from outside the area.
It all changed after the restart as Madrid improved both in attack and defence. The tactical change brought about the best performance from Ancelotti’s players and the chances began to roll in.
In the 49th minute, Toni Kroos swung a free-kick towards the top corner of the goal, only to be denied by Kobel’s sprawling save. The midfielder then whipped into a corner and Carvajal’s near-post header flew inches wide of the Borussia Dortmund goal.
Real Madrid were looking increasingly dangerous in the opposition box and came within a whisker of taking the lead nine minutes later when Vini Jr. crossed to Bellingham, whose scuffed effort almost crept in at the far post. The breakthrough came from a set piece in the 74th minute. Kroos whipped in a corner and Carvajal rose the highest to glance a header across goal and into the net.
Bellingham had an opportunity in the 76th minute when he received the ball on the penalty spot and was denied by Schlotterbeck who blocked his effort. Madrid got the second goal when Dortmund’s Ian Maatsen gave the ball away on the edge of their box, allowing midfielder Bellingham to feed a perfect pass for Vinicius Jr, who easily struck home.
“You never get accustomed to this. It was much more difficult than we thought it would be. In the first half, we had to suffer; in the second half, we lost the ball less and played better – but those are all trifling details now. We won. The dream continues.”,” said Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid coach.
Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic said “We put in a great display and I think we deserved more than losing 2-0. From the first second, we showed the world that we weren’t just here simply to play a final – but to win it. We did so many things right, but they were ice-cold at the right moment, which we lacked today.”
IANS
