Borussia Dortmund botched an golden opportunity to clinch their first ever away win against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night as Los Blancos came from 2-0 down to win 5-2.
Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens fired the German side into the lead with two goals in the first half. Malen opened the scoring in the 30th minute before the English player made it 2-0 four minutes later.
The 15-time European champions regrouped and scored five second-half goals for their second victory in the competition this season.
Antonio Rudiger and Vinicius Junior scored in quick fashion in the 60th and 62nd minutes respectively to bring the home team on level terms with Nuri Sahin’s men. Lucas Vazquez’s 83rd-miute effort handed Real Madrid the advantage before Vinicius, widely tipped to win the 2024 Ballon d’or, netted two more to complete his hat trick.
The Italian manager of Real Madrid spoke to the press after the game and below are the answers he provided to the questions posed at him.
How did you feel about the break?
“We felt calm and collected. We changed the system and played more intensely. We were timid in the first half, we weren’t intense with the ball and in the second half we played better with more quality and more pressure. It was the best second half of the season.“
On Vinicius :
“What I can say is that it’s rare to see a player who has a second-half performance like Vinicius has. And not because of the three goals, but because of his character, he’s extraordinary.”
Explanation of the match: “We started the first half with little intensity. They controlled it quite well, although we had two crossbars. We have to play with more energy, with more risk…”
The Ballon d’Or:
“Vinicius will win it, but not for what he did tonight, but for what he did last year. These three goals are already in the running for next year’s Ballon d’Or.”
Half-time talk :
“Talking about scoring three goals could have seemed like a utopia, so we talked about small details like making good passes, winning duels… We had to win the dynamic of the match and from there you start to win the match.”
On the system:
“The system is not the most important thing, but the attitude.”
Intensity: “We have to learn from what we did in the second half. The goal is to start the game and not wait for them to score two. I don’t think we can play the 90 minutes with the intensity of the second half, but we can be more balanced.”
On Learning :
“The team has to go home with the lessons learned from the second half. It taught us a lot, it could be a key moment in the second half.”
Vinicius and recognition: “I think he does have recognition in Spain. They boo him because he makes a difference. With him, racism is stopping and he is respected. They boo him and it’s normal.”
Lucas Vázquez:
“He did well. He scored the goal that put us ahead. We ask him to attack and that’s why he sometimes has a harder time defending. He scored a very well-made goal.”
Send us your stories and breaking news to [email protected]
