UCL: Real Madrid win the Champions League again

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Borussia Dortmund 0- 2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid overcame a formidable challenge from underdogs Borussia Dortmund to secure the Champions League title at Wembley.

Pre match at the 2024 Champions League final - 1

Carlo Ancelotti made history once again with his fifth win as a manager in the competition, while Real Madrid claimed their 15th title in typical fashion. They weathered a stormy first half and several missed opportunities from Dortmund before emerging victorious.

A brief summary of the match

Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi missed two chances in the first half, and striker Niclas Fullkrug struck the post. Real Madrid's recalled goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was also a formidable barrier.

As expected, Real Madrid upped the ante, with Dani Carvajal nodding in a header from a corner 16 minutes from time, followed by Vinicius Jr racing clear to add a second goal.

This victory crowned a glorious first season at Real Madrid for Jude Bellingham, but it was a night of disappointment for Jadon Sancho, on loan to Dortmund from Manchester United.

Champions League stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)

How do Real Madrid keep doing this?

Real Madrid's late surge to claim another victory in Europe's elite tournament seemed almost inevitable, proving once again that they are a ruthless winning machine in the Champions League.

As they have done many times this season and in past seasons, Real Madrid stumbled through the first half as they were pinned back by Borussia Dortmund's pressure. 

The La Liga champions barely managed to put together a worthy attack while hanging on desperately at the other end, with Dortmund creating but crucially missing chances.

When that happens, as Liverpool and others have discovered in previous Champions League finals, there is usually only one outcome.

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And so it proved as Real Madrid, with Courtois fully justifying Ancelotti's decision to pick him over Andriy Lunin, gathered momentum to deliver two late blows to Borussia Dortmund's brave efforts.

This is almost when the muscle memory of these great players kicks in, as the departing Toni Kroos, Carvajal, Nacho, and late substitute Luka Modric collected Champions League winners' medals for the sixth time.

As for the incomparable Ancelotti, as calm as ever, he continued his incredible record at the helm of this great club. There is a reason why so many refer to him as 'Don Carlo'.

It was a quiet night for Bellingham but he still got an assist to round off an amazing first season. He missed a big chance before setting up Vinicius Jr for the second goal. England will be hoping this sets up their young superstar perfectly for Euro 2024.

Dortmund fall short again

As always, the Dortmund fans inside the stadium created an amazing atmosphere. For 70 minutes, it looked like this was going to spur them on to a stunning Champions League success. Their fans will be proud they reached this stage of the tournament, but there will be a definite sense of what could have been when they look at some of those missed chances. Had they scored early, it would have been a very different match.

Location: London, UK

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