Real Madrid win the Champions League with their normal blueprint and we all knew it was coming

LONDON – Maybe Real Madrid simply don’t know any other way to win. When the Champions League anthem sounds, they unearth a familiar plan: be second best, win by any means necessary. Number 15 in the European Champions Cup, a triumph achieved despite everything.

Borussia Dortmund do almost everything right for more than an hour, find an opponent who plays so far below the collective standards they have set for themselves and still see their hopes dashed by the absolute inevitability of their opponents. Forget it Jake, it’s Real Madrid.

You would have been forgiven for thinking otherwise for much of this match. From the start, it looked like Carlo Ancelotti had got his game plan wrong, especially in a final third where too much possession was being channeled to the wrong sources. As happened in the semi-final triumph over Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund invited their technically superior opponents to have as much ball possession as they wanted in wide areas, especially if it was at the feet of full-backs Dani Carvajal. and Ferland Mendy.

Edin Terzic’s assertive pre-match press conference gave the impression of a man who knew exactly what Real Madrid’s weaknesses were, even if he wasn’t prepared to share them. It seemed evident that Dortmund had concluded that if they were going to let anyone beat them, it would be the two defenders in white. It was the kind of bitter irony that Real Madrid presented, as they were one of those pairings that would actually beat an excellent opponent. Not, however, before almost collapsing.

With the ball, Madrid seemed to have no idea how to give it to their most effective players. The excellent Karim Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho blocked the passing lines for Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham, who struggled to make much of an impact on the match after a decent 10 minutes early on as an outlet for long balls over the Dortmund press.

Real Madrid’s logical response could then have been to move away from Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, trusting that at least one of the two could blow away the duo they would inevitably face. Instead, the attackers remained in the central areas, Rodrygo in particular, who seemed to want to attack the space behind that Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck would not leave as they set up camp close to the penalty area. The perennial champions drove the ball very slowly into the traps Dortmund set for them, somehow managing to send enough bodies forward to leave all the space in the world for Adeyemi to enter.

More of that irony again. In a turn of events whose cruelty eclipses even Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania X-Seven, the post that was once Borussia Dortmund’s great ally did his cruelest tricks. Many on the ground were convinced that Niklas Fullkrug’s sliding pull would roll across the line as it spun mischievously off the goal line. It shouldn’t be. Adeyemi’s shot didn’t even get past the defense, taking the ball too far from Thibaut Courtois.

If it weren’t for that specific spell that Real Madrid seem to have in the European Cup, this game could have died down at half-time. More chances came in the second half, with Valverde increasingly influential as he moved from the right of the diamond in midfield to a more central role in the box. Opportunities arose, but Madrid had few that would allow them to stem the tide at the other end. Whenever Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Ryerson or Fullkrug wanted there was a gulf of space between Nacho and Mendy for them to step into, Camavinga was unable to track these dangerous runs. Again, Fullkrug could have exploited this more effectively. For a brief moment the faith of Madridistas it was shaking tangibly.

Despite being outperformed in many duels, Real Madrid’s greatest strength seemed to be in set pieces. Of course, they made it worth it. Carvajal had already terrorized Dortmund at the near post with a shot. When the opportunity arose to try again, the results were even more impressive. Nacho blocked it at the near post, Toni Kroos’ shot hit the target and Carvajal got ahead of Fullkrug to score.

In an instant, it was as if Madrid realized who they were in relation to Dortmund. It was the team that 12 months ago won the Westfalenstadion’s brightest star. They started playing like that. Bellingham should have had two. Vinicius did just that, honoring Ronaldo with his celebration and Mesut Ozil with a finish that bounced onto the deck to rise high above Gregor Kobel.

That Real Madrid could have surprised even a team as obstinate and organized as Dortmund were in the first hour. Real Madrid didn’t need Real Madrid to reach glory. But it is ultimately what this team has done with extraordinary success over a decade, which has delivered six Champions League trophies, whilst also making moot the question of whether Los Blancos are truly what good.

In 2022, the strength of Karim Benzema’s excellence led them to glory, despite being beaten in every qualifier leading up to Paris. The group that won four in five years between 2014 and 2018 has won just two other major trophies and has often been out of the La Liga title race.

Who cares? When you win that much, you are a dynasty. Each of them needs a defining characteristic. Paco Gento’s Real Madrid – whose record of six Champions Leagues is now equaled by Luka Modric, Nacho, Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos – was the great model of the collection of stars that came to define this club. Ajax revolutionized the game’s tactics. These men will be defined by their ability to win, regardless of their collective and individual struggles. Ancelotti was right when he said on Friday that it was no coincidence, that there must be some “causality” in the large number of last-minute goals and the dramatic comebacks that have taken Real Madrid to the top of European football six times.

Wembley knew this was coming. Deep down, Dortmund knew it was like that too. As for Madrid? Well, they probably saw this coming from the start of the season.