Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid once again demonstrated their resilience and flair for dramatic comebacks at the Santiago Bernabeu, overturning a 2-0 halftime deficit to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2. The victory, highlighted by a masterful performance from Vinicius Jr, revived Madrid’s Champions League campaign after a shaky start.
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Dortmund took an early lead after a competitive opening 30 minutes. Serge Guirassy cleverly flicked the ball to Donyell Malen, who fired a powerful shot past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. Just minutes later, Jamie Gittens doubled Dortmund’s advantage, slotting home at the back post from Malen’s cross, leaving the Madrid defence scrambling.
Real Madrid struggled to find their rhythm in the first half despite creating numerous opportunities. Jude Bellingham came closest, smashing a shot off the crossbar, while Rodrygo also rattled the woodwork. Dortmund’s goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, made a series of crucial saves, including a full-stretch stop that prevented an unlucky deflection from turning into a Madrid goal.
The second half, however, belonged to Madrid. Toni Rudiger gave the home side hope, heading in a pinpoint cross from Kylian Mbappe to cut the deficit. Just minutes later, Vinicius Jr found the equalizer, capitalizing on Dortmund’s defensive lapse with a clinical finish.
Madrid surged forward with renewed confidence. Lucas Vazquez, who had earlier been at fault for Dortmund’s second goal, redeemed himself with a thunderous strike in the 83rd minute to give Madrid the lead. From there, it was all about Vinicius, who scored two more breathtaking goals, completing his hat-trick and sealing a famous 5-2 victory for Los Blancos.