Vinicius hat-trick inspires Madrid to stun Dortmund with memorable comeback win

Vinicius Junior hit a brilliant hat-trick as Real Madrid stunned Borussia Dortmund with a five-goal second-half blitz to come from two down and win 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In a repeat of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, the defending champions Real were in trouble at the interval after goals from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens had put Dortmund two up after an entertaining first half.

But Real came flying out of the blocks in the second half, keen to avoid what would have been a second defeat in three matches in this year’s competition.

Two goals in two minutes, just after the hour mark, from Antonio Rudiger and Vinicius saw the scores levelled. And Lucas Vazquez completed the comeback in the 83rd minute after a dominant second-half display from the Spanish side.

Two outstanding late goals from Vinicius to complete his hat-trick made the game completely safe, after one of the most impressive 45-minute displays of the season.

This was the cliched game of two halves, with Real Madrid lively at times in the first half but ultimately left rattled by an impressive attacking display from visitors Borussia Dortmund.

The atmosphere was in danger of turning sour and the Real players struggled to get control of the game after Dortmund had scythed open the Madrid defence for a quick-fire brace.

But the second-half saw a fired-up Madrid close to their best, as they attacked with a speed and ferocity that the visitors found hard to handle.

Dortmund sat further and further back, inviting the pressure, and the comeback seemed inevitable as the chances racked up.

It could have been different had Thibaut Courtois not made an excellent save with the scores at 2-2, but Real Madrid did more than enough to win the game on the balance of play in the second half.

Brazil’s Vinicius Junior is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or for a reason, and he showed it during a superb individual performance. He always looked the player most likely to hurt Dortmund, creating a number of chances for others before he tucked home the equaliser.

But his second and third goals will be the moments that stick in the memory, with both being superb efforts, ripping through a broken Dortmund defence as he bagged the match ball with a world-class hat-trick.

Real Madrid: Courtois 8; Vázquez 8, Militão 7, Rüdiger 7, Mendy 6; Valverde 8, Modric 8, Bellingham 6; Rodrygo 7, Mbappé 8, Vinicius 9. Subs: Camavinga 7, Tchouameni 6, Guler 6, Ceballos 6.

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel 8; Ryerson 6, Süle 6, Schlotterbeck 7, Bensebaini 6; Nmecha 6, Sabitzer 5; Malen 7, Brandt 7, Gittens 7; Guirassy 7. Subs: Anton 6, Gross 5, Beier 6, Can 5

30’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (MALEN)

The visitors have the lead! A move appears to break down on the edge of the box, but Brandt hustles to win the ball back and Guirassy lays the ball off at the perfect time to pick out the run of Malen, who finishes beyond Courtois. 1-0.

34’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GITTENS)

And another! Dortmund break, Malen jinks to the byline and slides the ball across the face of goal, and Jamie Gittens arrives at pace, tracked by nobody, stretching to turn the ball home at the far post completely unchallenged. 2-0.

60’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 1-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (RUDIGER)

Antonio Rudiger stays up after a corner and is on hand to powerfully head home Mbappe’s clipped cross. It’s a nice cross and a dominant header and Real Madrid are back in this game. 2-1.

62’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 2-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (VINICIUS)

Real Madrid have turned this game on its head and the Bernabeu is bouncing. Mbappe is slid through on goal and superbly tackled, but the loose ball runs straight to Vinicius Junior, who shoots home into an empty net. The goal is initially ruled out for an offside on Mbappe, but that wasn’t the right call and it’s 2-2. The Madrid players punch the air to whip the crowd into an even more fervent atmosphere. Stunning.

81’ – HUGE SAVE FROM COURTOIS

Out of nowhere Dortmund almost retake the lead. They’ve created very little in this second half, but break and work the ball to Beier, who draws an outstanding save out of Courtois.

83’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 3-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (VAZQUEZ)

Rodrygo does well to keep the ball in and looks to pull it back to Mbappe outside the box. His pass is blocked off, but the deflected ball is perfect for Lucas Vazquez to run on to, and he bursts past the covering defender and lashes a shot home from a tight angle. The celebrations are huge – what a turnaround it’s been! 3-2.

86’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 4-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (VINICIUS)

Wow! That is the clear goal of the evening by the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. Vinicius Junior picked up the ball deep in his own half, but at full pace there are few who can catch him and he surged forward into the Dortmund half before cutting inside past a helpless Sule, ending his run with a brilliant finish from the edge of the box. Simply sublime. 4-2!

93’ – GOAL! REAL MADRID 5-2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (VINICIUS)

That’s the hat-trick and it’s brilliant from Vinicius. Real Madrid win the ball back in midfield and feed Vinicius. He gets the favour of a deflection back into his path as he surges through the Dortmund defence towards the box, but he’s a player who needs no helping hand, and he takes advantage, skipping into space with a stepover before lashing a shot into the roof of the net. What a performance, what a player!