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LONDON – You’re wondering what went through Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti’s mind when the half-time whistle blew at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. His team, favorites who have reached the final in six of the past 10 years (and winners every time), could have been two or three goals behind Borussia Dortmund, a perennially under-performing Bundesliga team.
It was up to him to fix it. We don’t know what he said, but you don’t assume much. Maybe it was like that scene in Pulp Fiction, where the guy fires his gun at Samuel L. Jackson, and Real Madrid escapes unscathed. Fate gave them a second chance. They had to make this matter, and when you win as much as this group did, you don’t need to be reminded.
“In the first half, we played well (but) they were much better,” Dani Carvajal said after the match. “We knew our moment would come. We knew how to suffer.”
We know what he did tactically: very little. There was no panic, no tearing up the chart. Just an adjustment to shift Jude Bellingham into a more central position, rather than having him move off the ball. It was as if he was saying to his staff: “You guys can do better and the football gods have given you the chance to prove it.”
And that opportunity is largely due to the character of Thibaut Courtois, part human, part arachnid, the man with the wings of Victor Wimpanyama and the nerves of a Formula 1 driver. The hulking Belgian goalkeeper made himself even bigger – like that puffer fish that doubles or triples his size – to force Karim Adeyemi. To clear the goal when it was through one-on-one. And because, despite his blistering pace, Adeyemi sometimes has the delicate touch of an Amazon delivery man, he ended up taking the ball far enough that Dani Carvajal was able to race across it, cover the goal-line and clear the danger.
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– Champions League final as it happened: Madrid 2, Dortmund 0
Courtois stood upright again when Niklas Volkrug’s shot hit his body and ended up on the post. And it was once again he who quickly broke down to snuff out another Adeyemi attempt just before the half-hour mark.
Each opportunity had a theme: relocation. When Real Madrid lost the ball, the opposition went in front, taking advantage of Adeyemi’s wheels and Marcel Sabitzer’s timing down the right flank. It didn’t take a genius to know that Real Madrid would have the greater part of the ball and spend more time in the opposition’s half. This part of the script was followed. But what was unexpected was the difficulty the Spanish champions faced in converting all that territory and possession into goals or even tangible opportunities. (At the end of the first half, Dortmund led in the xG battle by 1.68 to 0.09.)
Credit to Dortmund’s well-organised defense – something you wouldn’t expect to hear – and a tremendous work-rate, with Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho doubling up in wide areas, but also their ability to turn defense into attack in the blink of an eye. eye. That left Real Madrid frustrated – evidenced by Vinicius’ late lunge on goalkeeper Gregor Kopil which earned them a yellow card in the first half – and unable to muster more than a few long-range strikes.
But then came the Madrid strike and this time, there would be no bogey. Other than Volkrug’s header, there was little sign of Dortmund’s attacking threat after the break, and Madrid gradually grew into the match, like a boxer who knows his opponent is exhausted and begins to feel confident.
Bellingham and Coppell both encouraged Eduardo Camavinga’s clipped ball into the box. The Englishman, who was not having a great game, took a moment and grabbed the post with both hands, bowing his head. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to rip it out of the ground out of frustration. Instead, he turned around, shook his head, and ran back. If you looked closely, you might have seen a wry smile, as if he knew “we got this.”
Moments later, Vinicius – another star who will never forget the first half – showed why this sport was created by God for the enjoyment of humans. With veteran defender Mats Hummels running towards him as he moved down the side, he quickly sent the ball one way, went the other, gathered the ball back and then passed Julian Ryerson near the touchline a few steps later. There was so much beauty, grace, chutzpah and agility in one movement, and it was a reminder of what Madrid has to offer. And they are starting to feel it.
It was a prelude to the goal: not a thing of beauty in isolation, but a moment of cunning and patience. Toni Kroos, who was playing his final game of football after announcing his retirement, sent a corner kick that Dani Carvajal redirected past Coppell, stealing the ball from Volkrug. Madrid 1, Dortmund 0. There were less than 15 minutes remaining, but there was already an air of permanence as if some prophecy had come true.
The remainder of the match saw a series of chances for Real Madrid – Bellingham and Camavinga from distance, and a Nacho header cleared by Coppell – before Vinicius joined forces by finishing off a counter-attack after Dortmund had given away the ball in their own half. Madrid 2, Dortmund 0. The match is over.
Shortly after the match, Ancelotti hugged Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and whispered in his ear. Nineteen years ago, Milan, led by Ancelotti, dominated its rival (Liverpool) in the first half but eventually lost on penalties. On that occasion – unlike Terzic’s side – they converted their chances, taking a 3-0 lead. Terzic could choose to dwell on this, and how his brilliantly executed game plan went nowhere, or he could remind himself of that in the midst of a difficult season that saw his team slip from second to fifth in the Bundesliga, forcing the club to make a choice. By loaning out two players (Sancho and Ian Maatsen) and putting them straight into the starting line-up, they at least made their fans proud in the Champions League. That’s what he needs: remember the good times, and build on them.
As for Real Madrid, the 2023-24 season was supposed to be a transitional season. Karim Benzema is gone, Kylian Mbappe remains in Paris (although that will change), Toni Kroos enjoyed his ‘last dance’, and perhaps the same applies to Luka Modric as well. There have been long-term injuries to the defensive spine too, with Courtois out of the goal and centre-back duo David Alaba and Eder Militao sidelined for almost the entire season. However, the 2023-24 season ended in triumph, as they won the La Liga title again and became European champions for the 15th time.
If you know who you are, if you know what you have, you can change that and write your own story. Especially if you’ve done it before. Just as Real Madrid did after half-time at Wembley, and as they have done this long season.
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