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 later, Mbappe got through on goal but a superb tackle robbed him of the opportunity to shoot. Unfortunately for Dortmund, the ball went straight to Vinicius Jr., who tapped it in from the left side of the box.
Back on level terms, Real Madrid had their tails up, and there was no coming back for the Germans. They suffocated Dortmund with relentless attacks and deservedly got the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute. Benefitting from a deflection, captain Lucas Vazquez dashed into the box from the right and applied a smashing finish to find the top-left corner from a tight angle.
Three minutes after Vazquez’s strike, Bellingham dispossessed Emre Can deep inside the Madrid half and played a simple pass forward for Vinicius Jr. Unfortunately for Sahin’s men, that was all the encouragement Vinicius Jr. needed to have a go. The Brazilian ran almost the entirety of the pitch before cutting inside and letting fly from the edge of the box. The ball, hit with enough power, slotted into the bottom-right corner of the net.
Much to the delight of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, their No. 7 was not done yet. In the third minute of injury time, the jet-heeled left-winger beat Niclas Sule and Waldemar Anton with ease before finding the roof of the net with a left-footed strike, claiming his first hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League and sealing a commanding 5-2 victory for Madrid.
