Peter Drury’s iconic commentary lines still goes – Real Madrid is a miracle club, crazy things happen here. Nothing extraordinary took place in the UEFA Champions League finals 2023-24. Los Blancos comfortably defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to lift their 15th Champions League.
Unlike other finals, this one was different but then again, things fell into shape and everyone knew what would be the result. 32 teams play the Champions League but Real Madrid in the end lifts the title. But German side, Borussia Dortmund came with a full proof plan to cause a major upset.
Tactical Failure by Dortmund?
Dortmund’s loss can be hugely credited to their tactical failure. The German side posed relentless attack on Real Madrid from the very beginning of the game. But the Bundesliga side failed to convert their chances. Niclas Fullkrug came close to scoring early, only for the ball to hit the side bar.
Madrid patiently absorbed the entire press from their opponents, often breaking their gameplay and style. The likes of Julian Brandt, Karim Karim Adeyemi too came close but failed to convert their chances. In the end, it was these failed chances that came to haunt Dortmund in the end.
Real Madrid deployed a simple tactical style. They tired off their opponent, before going for the kill. Post the hour mark, Dortmund players became tired as Madrid took their chance to build on their pressure in the game. Los Blancos rallied attacks after attacks before a Dani Carvajal with a bullet header from a Toni Kroos corner.
9 minutes later, Dortmund made a mistake in their own half, giving away the ball cheaply. Jude Bellingham cleverly laid off the ball to Vinicius Jr who with a sublime finish scored his side’s double to seal the win. With this win, Real Madrid lift a historic 15th Champions League title.
As Dortmund grew tired, Madrid kept on building and piling the pressure. But in the end, it was too late for the Yellow Wall to strike a comeback. Fullkrug did put the ball into the back of the net, only for the linesman and and the VAR to flag it is an offside.
Editors pick
