- Vinicius Junior netted a hat-trick in a 5-2 win
- BVB took a 2-0 lead in the first half
- Madrid won the game with five goals in the final 30 minutes
Vincius Junior netted a stunning second half hat-trick to secure a dramatic comeback win for Real Madrid over Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Dortmund had taken a shock 2-0 lead in the first half through Donyell Malen and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, however Los Blancos came roaring back in the second half.
Two goals in two minutes from Antonio Rudiger and Vinicius Junior drew Carlo Ancelotti's side level, before Lucas Vazquez and two more stunning goals from Vinicius secured all three points - and potentially a Ballon d'Or for Vini too.
How the game unfolded
It was all Real Madrid in the early exchanges, with the home side penning Borussia Dortmund back into their defensive third for lengthy periods. That territorial dominance didn't translate to a single shot on target however.
Madrid's failure to create chances allowed BVB to slowly grow into the game and eventually take the lead on the half hour mark. Dortmund capitalised on a poor clearance from Lucas Vazquez to nab possession in the final third through Julian Brandt, before the German drilled the ball into the feet of Serhou Guirassy inside the penalty area. After controlling well, the ex-Stuttgart man held the ball up brilliantly before feeding Donyell Malen on the right of the box, who made no mistake with his finish - drilling past Thibaut Courtois.
Rather amazingly, soon after it was 2-0.
A sweeping Dortmund move culminated in Malen drilling a low cross to an unmarked Jamie Bynoe-Gittens at the back post, and the Englishman made no mistake with his finish - tapping into the empty net.
That second goal woke Madrid up a bit, with Jude Bellingham spurning a glorious headed chance while unmarked in the centre of the box to claw one back. A few minutes later, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham then both rattled the crossbar in quick succession.
The action didn't stop there as, before the half-time whistle, Julian Brandt forced Courtois into a stunning finger-tip stop to keep arrears to just the two goals.
Madrid came out at the start of the second half with some renewed vigour, clawing one back after a period of pressure. The goal was scored by centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who rose highest to thump home a Kylian Mbappe cross to get Los Blancos back in the game.
One minute later, the game had been turned on its head.
Ballon d'Or favourite netted his third goal in three games to make it 2-2, tapping home from close range in order to do so.
Los Blancos piled on the pressure thereafter, with Vini in particular causing the Dortmund backline a whole host of problems. The goal would eventually come in the 83rd minute, and from a rather surprising source.
Making amends for his defensive mistakes during the first half, Lucas Vazquez race into the box to lash brilliantly into the roof of the net to give Madrid the lead.
Soon after, the win was sealed by Vini - in quite stunning fashion at that. The Brazilian latched onto the ball fully 80 yards from the Dortmund goal before racing the down the left flank, cutting inside, and firing into the top corner. A brilliant goal from an utterly brilliant player.
There was still time for Vinicius to complete his hat-trick in added time too, once again racing past a few Dortmund players before slamming the ball into the net.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 6/10 - Couldn't do much about either goal he conceded, but made an important save to keep the score down late in the first half.
RB: Lucas Vazquez - 6/10 - Defensive disasterclass in the first half from the de facto right-back. He was at fault for both goals. Made amends by scoring at the other end in the second half.
CB: Eder Militao - 5/10 - Not quite at the races. He failed to win a single tackle throughout the game.
CB: Antonio Rudiger - 7/10 - He always pops up with an important goal, doesn't he? The centre-back thumped home Madrid's first of the evening to give them a lifeline.
LB: Ferland Mendy - 4/10 - All at sea for both goal Madrid conceded. One can see why they're so heavily linked with Alphonso Davies.
CM: Federico Valverde - 6/10 - The game passed him by in the first half, but he improved in the second.
CM: Luka Modric - 6/10 - The best of Madrid's midfield three. Used the ball well (92% pass completion rate) and worked hard off the ball too (tallied up nine ball recoveries).
CM: Jude Bellingham - 5/10 - He bagged an assist, but he just can't seem to buy a goal at the moment - hitting the crossbar and spurning another great headed chance in the first 45.
RW: Rodrygo Goes - 6/10 - The quietest of the Madrid forward three.
ST: Kylian Mbappe - 7/10 - Quiet in the first half, but his lovely cross for the first goal set Madrid on their way to an important comeback.
LW: Vinicius Junior - 10/10 - He's the Ballon d'Or favourite for a reason. Bagged the equaliser and then went super saiyan in the final ten minutes, completing his hat-trick with two sublime goals.
Substitutes
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (71' for Modric) - 6/10
SUB: Aurelien Tchouameni (85' for Rodrygo) - N/A
SUB: Dani Ceballos (90' for Bellingham) - N/A
SUB: Arda Guler (90' for Mbappe) - N/A
Manager - Carlo Ancelotti - 6/10 - There's still question marks over how the midfield is set up, but when you have Vinicius Junior in your team it doesn't really matter, does it?
