Champions League Final: Real Madrid Clinches 15th European Cup with 2-0 Victory Over Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid celebrated their record-extending 15th Champions League title on Saturday, triumphing over Borussia Dortmund with a 2-0 victory at Wembley Stadium.

The Spanish giants, who have dominated European club soccer, experienced a familiar yet exhilarating moment as they lifted the Champions League trophy once more.

“Getting used to it? Never,” said Carlo Ancelotti, who set a new benchmark with his fifth win as a coach. “The dream continues.”

The Madrid fans created a sea of white at one end of the stadium, cheering their team after goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior secured the win.

Despite the final score, Dortmund had the upper hand in the first half, creating numerous chances. Ancelotti acknowledged the unexpected challenge: “It was a very difficult game, much more difficult than we had expected. We changed things because in the first half we were a bit lazy.”

The breakthrough came in the 74th minute when Carvajal scored with a header, followed by Vinicius who doubled Madrid’s lead nine minutes later.

This victory marked Ancelotti’s third Champions League title with Madrid, adding to his two previous wins with AC Milan. His five titles place him ahead of other legendary managers like Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola, and Bob Paisley.

For Carvajal, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Nacho, this was their sixth Champions League win, matching the record set by Madrid legend Paco Gento.

Real Madrid’s triumph came a year after Manchester City won their first Champions League, a win that many thought would signal a new era of dominance. Instead, Ancelotti reaffirmed his status as one of the greatest coaches of his generation.

Besides his Champions League success, Ancelotti also won the Spanish title this season, adding to his tally of league championships in five different countries.

Madrid’s dominance in the competition is unparalleled, with AC Milan being the second most successful club with seven titles. Madrid has won nine titles in the Champions League era, including two in the past three seasons.

“This is the love story between Real Madrid and the European Cup. Players come, players go, but we can say that this is our competition,” said Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Looking ahead, Madrid is expected to strengthen further, with Kylian Mbappe likely to join as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, and Brazilian rising star Endrick on his way. However, Perez remained tight-lipped about transfers: “You can ask me as many times as you want, but I am only going to talk about the players that are on Real Madrid’s team. And above all today, when we just won a European Cup. These are the players who deserve all the praise. The future? We will have to talk about that at some other point.”

Ancelotti is already focused on the future, stating, “In this club there is constant demand. It is never satisfied. We will come back with the same eagerness and with the same excitement and anticipation as before.”

Dortmund, on the other hand, rued their missed opportunities. Thibaut Courtois made several key saves, and Niclas Fullkrug hit the post during the first half. Dortmund coach Edin Terzic commented on the turning point: “There was the momentum when the game turned around and you see why they are the champions of this competition. We couldn’t manage to score and that was the key why we didn’t manage to win the game.”

The decisive moments came in the second half. Carvajal’s header from Kroos’ corner broke the deadlock, and Vinicius’ goal sealed the victory, extinguishing Dortmund’s hopes. Vinicius later celebrated with rapper Jay-Z, who was among the 86,000 spectators.

This was Dortmund’s second loss in a Champions League final, their first being to Bayern Munich in 2013, also at Wembley. Their sole triumph in the competition remains from 1997. Despite their strong performance in the first half, they could not capitalize on their chances, ultimately succumbing to Real Madrid’s clinical finishing.