The iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium at the heart of Madrid witnessed another legendary comeback from reigning European champions Real Madrid on Tuesday night (October 22), as they produced a blinding second-half performance to claim a 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Ballon d’Or favorite Vinicius Jr. claimed the Man of the Match award on Matchday 3 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season, courtesy of his sensational game-defining hat-trick.
Borussia Dortmund Dominate the First Half at the Bernabeu
Nuri Sahin’s Borussia Dortmund came into the game in high spirits. They had won their first two games in the Champions League, scoring a whopping 10 goals, and fancied their chances of taking the fight to the team that beat them in the final on June 1. The visitors started well, putting pressure on the All-Whites while maintaining their shape. Their calculated offense paid dividends in the 30th minute when Serhou Guirassy set up Donyell Malen for the opener. Real Madrid simply could not clear the ball out of the box, allowing Guirassy to thread the ball through for Mallen. The Dutchman applied a superb first-time finish to make it 1-0 for Dortmund.
Four minutes later, Dortmund doubled their money, as an unmarked Jamie Gittens penetrated the box from the left and sent Malen’s delivery beyond Thibaut Courtois. Real Madrid scored almost immediately after going 2-0 down, but an unmarked Jude Bellingham sent his header straight at the goalkeeper. The following minute, the crossbar came to Dortmund’s rescue, denying Rodrygo and Bellingham in quick succession.
Vinicius Jr. Fuels Quintessential Real Madrid Comeback in the Second Half
Trailing 2-0, Real Madrid knew they had to up the ante in the second 45. The entire team understood the gravity of the task in front and got down to business. On the hour mark, Kylian Mbappe floated a delightful cross into the box, allowing Antonio Rudiger to thump it into the back of the net. A couple of minutes…
Source link : https://sportslens.com/news/uefa-champions-league-real-madrid-dormund-vinicius-jr/
Author : Sushan Chakraborty
Publish date : 2024-10-23 06:34:21
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.