Champions League Final: Real Madrid extend European dominance with 15th title after beating Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid extended their European dominance in the early hours of Sunday (June 2) after clinching their 15th Champions League title with a 2-0 win over German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund. The contest played at the Wembley Stadium in London saw Real add to their already impressive trophy cabinet while Dortmund lost their second final at the venue having suffered the same fate against Bayern Munich in 2013.

Real Madrid start slow in title-winning run

Entering as the favourites to win the Champions League final, Real were completely outplayed in the opening half after Karim Adeyemi had a series of chances. The German youngster almost opened the scoring at the midway point in the first half but failed to capitalise on a thorough ball. Minutes later he again was at the center of things when Dortmund unlocked Real defence and found Niclas Füllkrug who hit the post.

After a quiet first half, Real made some adjustments and got the reward in the 74th minute when a corner was met with a looping header by defender Dani Carvajal who notched the opening goal. The lead was vital as Dortmund were left with no option back to open the backdoors and attack at full throttle. This left their defense vulnerable and provided Real Madrid with openings to score a second goal.

Eventually, in the 83rd minute, the 2022 Champions League winner Vinicius Jr scored the second goal and sealed Real’s 15th title in the competition. Dortmund had a late Füllkrug effort in the Real goal, but it was ruled out for offside.

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Real extend dominance

The title is Real’s sixth in the last 11 seasons of the Champions League as they now stand tall with 15 titles overall. Departing heroes Toni Kross, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernandez have now won the Champions League on six occasions taking them level with Francisco Gento who achieved the same feat with Real Madrid in the 1960s. Coach Carlo Ancelotti also won his fifth Champions League title, third with Real as he too extended his legacy in the competition. He also had won two titles with AC Milan in his playing days.

Real’s title win also sees them complete the season with a double of La Liga and Champions League and will now face Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup at the start of next season.