Wembley Stadium has a way of swallowing dreams whole. If you’re a Borussia Dortmund fan, that grass probably feels more like a graveyard than a pitch. Honestly, the 2024 Dortmund vs Real Madrid final was one of those games that makes you want to throw your remote at the wall because you just know what’s coming, even when it looks like it isn't.
Everyone remembers the score. 2-0. Real Madrid lifting their 15th European Cup. But if you actually watched the first sixty minutes, you’ve probably spent the last year trying to figure out how Dortmund didn't walk away with three goals before halftime.
The First Half Where Real Madrid Basically Didn't Exist
Let’s be real: Madrid were terrible for a huge chunk of this game. It wasn't just "soaking up pressure" or some masterclass in defensive positioning. They looked slow. Old, even.
Edin Terzic had a plan that worked almost perfectly. He used Karim Adeyemi’s pace like a cheat code. Adeyemi got in behind Dani Carvajal and Antonio Rüdiger so many times it started to feel like a glitch in the Matrix. Then there was that moment in the 21st minute—Adeyemi rounds Thibaut Courtois. The goal is gaping. He takes one touch too many, goes too wide, and the chance evaporates.
You could feel the air leave the stadium.
Niclas Füllkrug hit the post a few minutes later. A sliding, desperate effort that beat Courtois but rattled the woodwork. If that goes in, the whole history of the Dortmund vs Real Madrid final changes. But in the Champions League, against Madrid, "almost" is basically a death sentence.
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Why the Dortmund vs Real Madrid Final Was Won on a Tactic Shift
People love to talk about "Madrid DNA" or "The Power of Friendship," but Carlo Ancelotti isn't just a vibe manager. He’s a tinkerer.
At halftime, the dressing room was surprisingly quiet. Ancelotti later admitted they were losing the ball in the wrong areas and had zero balance. He switched things up. Instead of the narrow diamond that was getting shredded on the wings, he pushed Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior wider into a 4-3-3.
Suddenly, Julian Ryerson and Ian Maatsen—who had been fantastic—had to actually defend 1-on-1 against the two fastest wingers in the world.
The pressure started to cook. It wasn't a sudden explosion; it was more like a slow-motion car crash for BVB. Toni Kroos, playing his final club game ever, started finding those diagonal switches that he could probably do in his sleep.
The Carvajal Factor
It’s kinda funny that in a team with Vinícius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo, the guy who broke the deadlock was a 5-foot-8 right back.
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Dani Carvajal had been struggling with Adeyemi all night. But in the 74th minute, he rose higher than everyone on a Kroos corner. It was a glancing header, the kind of goal you see in Sunday league but executed with surgical precision.
That was it. Game over.
Dortmund’s heads dropped. You could see it. They knew. When Ian Maatsen—who had been one of the breakout stars of the season—played a horrific blind pass across his own box in the 83rd minute, Jude Bellingham just pounced. He fed Vinícius, and the Brazilian chipped it over Gregor Kobel. 2-0.
The Heartbreak of the Dortmund vs Real Madrid Final
I felt for Edin Terzic. After the match, Jose Mourinho—who was doing TV work—told him that "time is not going to help you." That’s brutal. But it's true. Dortmund didn't lose because they were bad; they lost because they weren't perfect.
Madrid doesn't need to be better than you for 90 minutes. They just need you to be slightly worse than them for five.
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The narrative since has been all about Madrid’s 15th title, but we should probably talk more about how Dortmund managed to get there. They topped the "Group of Death" with PSG, Milan, and Newcastle. They beat Atletico. They beat PSG again. They were the ultimate underdogs who actually bit the big dog, but the big dog just refused to bleed out.
What Most People Miss
- Courtois was the MVP: He hadn't played a single Champions League minute all season due to his ACL injury. He stepped in for the final and made three massive saves in the first half. Without him, Madrid are 2-0 down by the 30th minute.
- The Pitch Invaders: Remember that? Three guys ran on in the first minute. One even got a selfie with Vinícius. It was a massive security failure that actually disrupted Dortmund’s early momentum.
- The Kroos Send-off: Every time Toni Kroos touched the ball in the second half, it felt like he was writing a script. He ended his club career with an assist in a Champions League final victory. You can't write that.
Moving Forward: Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're still obsessing over the Dortmund vs Real Madrid final, there are a few tactical and mental lessons to take away for the next season of European football.
First, watch the "transition defense." Real Madrid wins because they are comfortable being uncomfortable. If your team is playing Madrid, they have to convert at least 50% of their "Big Chances." Dortmund converted 0%.
Second, look at the fatigue factor. Terzic waited until the 71st minute to bring on Marco Reus. By then, the physical intensity of Dortmund's press had already started to dip. Tactical flexibility late in the game is why Ancelotti has five of these trophies and most coaches have zero.
If you want to understand the modern game, stop looking at possession stats. Madrid had less of the ball in the first half and still won. Efficiency is the only stat that mattered at Wembley.
Go back and watch the 70th to 80th-minute window of that match. It’s a masterclass in how a veteran team smells blood and changes the tempo of a game without even needing a substitution. That is the real "Madrid DNA."
Check the official UEFA match archives for the full technical report if you want to see the heat maps—Carvajal’s positioning in the second half tells the whole story.