A quick-fire double from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-0 lead over Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League duel last night and poised them well for victory.
What unfolded later, however, was what Real Madrid have done ever so consistently in the UEFA Champions League over the years – a stunning comeback win of epic proportions.
Antonio Rudiger, Vinicius Jr., and Lucas Vazquez were among the goalscorers on the night as the men in white ruthlessly put five goals past Nuri Sahin’s men and thus climbed up the table to regain a respectable position.
After three games in the UEFA Champions League, they are now placed ninth on the table with only four teams ahead of them.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points from Real Madrid 5-2 Borussia Dortmund.
A horrendous first-half
It would not be surprising if many fans across the globe shut their streams at half-time after seeing the team’s performance, for Real Madrid were beyond horrendous in the opening 45 minutes last night.
It did not come as a surprise, for a similar script unfolded when the two teams met earlier this year in the final of the UEFA Champions League. The difference, however, was that last night’s first half was tangibly worse in defence and that the team conceded.
At no point in the first period did Carlo Ancelotti’s team look to be the side in control as Borussia Dortmund piled attack after attack with free-flowing football and won the battle on the flanks against both of the hosts’ full-backs.
Donyell Malen was imperious down Ferland Mendy’s flank as he racked up a goal and an assist, easily bypassing the French defender. On the right, Vazquez was asked serious questions by Jamie Gitten whose substitution changed the game.
Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao, moreover, appeared clueless on the Dortmund attacks and the two goals conceded show exactly how they were outdone before the restart of play.
Vinicius and Mbappe are inevitable
The visitors dominated close to an hour at Santiago Bernabeu and it was only after the 50th minute that Real Madrid began to gradually grow into the game with renewed focus.
As the men in white do ever so often, they pumped up the pressure on Nuri Sahin’s side over a short spell of time, bombarding the box with crosses and long-range shots, building up the pressure like a pressure cooker with no outlet.
The gamble paid off when Antonio Rudiger found the back of the net with a timely header and Real Madrid found themselves in the situation they thrive in. With the opponents under serious pressure and their monstrous mentality, their dominance over the game began.
Of all the players on the field, however, it was Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr who stood out the brightest.
The Frenchman assisted Rudiger’s opener with a wonderful cross and just required two minutes to create the opening for Vinicius’ equaliser.
With the scores level, the attacking duo combined regularly to exploit Dortmund’s spaces behind the defence and broke the Germans’ mentality with their tenacity.
In the 86th minute, the Brazilian struck from distance to beat the Dortmund goalkeeper with a fine shot and put the result beyond doubt. His night only got better with a third and hat-trick completing goal in added time.
Massive momentum
Until the half-time whistle, Real Madrid’s defeat last night appeared written in stone and it appeared intimidating to think of the Clasico coming up this weekend.
For the dressing room, however, such a win could not have come at a better time for the thunderous comeback and dominant scoreline will only inject more confidence into the already existing mentality monsters in the dressing room.
A 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund was the perfect result for Los Blancos and given the chance, the manager may not even change the first-half for the feeling of a comeback can be the most euphoric of all.
The men in white can now head into El Clasico with a far more calm approach for it is clear that they are still one of the best in Europe. With a day’s added rest and the home advantage, they have a special chance to equal Barcelona in the league standings.
The hype for El Clasico will build in the coming days and the dressing room will undoubtedly be kept away from the same. What is clear, however, is that Ancelotti’s men are far from the underdogs against an in-form Barcelona.