Real Madrid grinds down Dortmund for UCL glory
Outplayed for an hour, the Spanish champion soaked up the pressure, showing its class by wearing down the German side.
After Dortmund had made, but spurned, several good chances in a one-sided first half, Madrid turned the game round with goals by Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr after 74 and 83 minutes.
It gave Madrid the trophy for a sixth time in 11 seasons, matching the run of the team that started its love affair with the European Cup, having won the first five editions of the continent's elite competition from 1956 and another in 1966.
It was also a record-extending fifth triumph as a coach for Carlo Ancelotti, who also won it twice as a player with AC Milan.
It was a performance typical of Madrid not only this season but for the past few years, as it did almost nothing for an hour but absorbed Dortmund’s punches then showed a clinical touch in front of goal when the best of its opportunities arrived.
The German side had a dream first half in every aspect other than scoring.
Its first good chance came after 21 minutes when Karim Adeyemi broke the offside trap but went too wide when rounding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and was smothered.
Then came a flurry of further opportunities as Niclas Fuellkrug hit the post and low shots by Julian Brandt and Marcel Sabitzer were saved by Courtois, making only his fifth appearance of an injury-hit season.
Madrid had barely fired a shot or built a sustained attack but, as so often in big games in recent seasons, it stayed calm and collected, confident its chances would come and its speed and precision on the counter-attack would make the difference.
Dortmund had been attacking towards its own fans who, revelling in their team's first UEFA Champions League final since 2013 and only their third in history, did their best to reproduce the yellow wall from their Westfalenstadion with relentless noise and unified bouncing that shook the stadium to its foundations.
At the other end, with precious little to get excited about, it felt like another day at the office for the Madrid supporters, who have been gorging at the top table for a decade and have become used to their team absorbing pressure.
Madrid looked livelier from the start in the second half, with Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel saving a Toni Kroos free kick and Carvajal glancing a header just over.
The German side, however, soon took control again and Courtois was in action to keep out a diving header by Fuellkrug.
To the surprise of nobody in the stadium though, Dortmund paid a heavy price for failing to convert its chances as Madrid scored the opener with a simple goal as 172cm Carvajal rose highest to meet a Kroos corner and power home a header.
The assist was a fitting way for Germany international midfielder Kroos to mark his final game for the club while he Carvajal, Nacho and Luka Modric equalled Real’s Francisco Gento’s record of six titles from their first era of dominance.
Madrid took charge from then on and got the second goal when Dortmund lost the ball on the edge of its own box, Jude Bellingham fed Vinicius Jr in acres of space and the Brazilian fired the ball home.
Dortmund finally found the net three minutes from time but Fuellkrug’s header was ruled out for offside and, although its incredible fans continued to sing, it was more importantly the same old song again for champion Madrid in the European Cup.
