Follow live coverage of Real Madrid against Dortmund in the Champions League final today
Welcome to the day. The Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund kicks off tonight at Wembley Stadium in London at 8 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET).
Madrid, one of football’s most decorated clubs and a powerhouse on the elite stage, takes on Dortmund, Germany’s fifth-best team this season, who have punched above their weight to get here. The winners will be crowned European champions.
Wherever you are in the world, we’ve got you covered. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about club football’s biggest fixture, from tactical talking points to deals with the devil.
Let’s dive in…
Will the “Kings of Europe” add an extra crown?
A victory at Wembley would secure Madrid a 15th European Cup/Champions League title. They are by far the most successful club in the competition (AC Milan are next with seven titles) and their particular grip on the trophy has been a hot topic across the world. Athleticism this week.
Just how do they do it?
The club’s die-hard fans will tell you what it’s all about: the irresistible power of their love affair with continental glory. The banners of the Santiago Bernabeu salute the “Kings of Europe”.
The nature of some of their recent results – comeback after comeback, late goal after late goal – certainly gives oxygen to that claim. There is an oft-repeated half-joke, even among the most analytical observers, that it is simply impossible to explain Madrid’s success, that all attempts at investigation will be rendered futile, or worse, by an inevitable shutdown stoppage time or another thunderclap. . Like this one:
Super-sub Joselu wins ⚽️#UCL pic.twitter.com/R1AnNKU9nj
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 9, 2024
Ahmed Walid, Mark Carey and John Muller answer the burning question: Is Madrid really impossible to analyze?
Jacob Whitehead and Guillermo Rai took a different approach: a deep dive that includes meetings with the club’s fervent and superstitious fans – as well as the musings of mystics. Is there some sort of higher power at work?
Dermot Corrigan reminded us that before the miracle of ‘La Decima’ – their 10th European Cup won in extremely dramatic circumstances – the narrative around Madrid was very different indeed. The tension around achieving this elusive milestone reached a feverish fury during years of failure that saw several managers fall.
So Dortmund has no chance?
Faustian bargains aside, there’s an obvious reason why Madrid are favorites: they have the stronger team.
The above ratings, based on a model designed by sports intelligence firm Twenty First Group, help show Madrid’s advantage.
But football is a sport that often has surprises in store, especially during knockout tournaments. Just look at Dortmund’s semi-final win over Paris Saint-Germain.
In the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Jadon Sancho, on loan from Manchester United, was sensational, and not for the first time since returning to his former club.
Sancho this season 🤤@Sanchooo10 || #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/kNMr6OBoZM
– UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 30, 2024
Sancho, along with Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen, provides the pace to complement Niclas Fullkrug in Dortmund’s attack – a centre-forward that Alan Shearer admires. They had a lot of success on the counterattack, but their route to the final hinged on defensive solidity.
The German side have conceded just nine goals in their 12 matches and kept six clean sheets – their most in the Champions League since 1997-98, when they defended their European title and reached the semi-finals before losing. ‘lose against… Real Madrid.
This 1997 victory is Dortmund’s only success in the Champions League. They were runners-up in 2013 against Bayern Munich – and that final was also played at Wembley.
Few people want to create a surprise, but they have already defied all odds to get here.
What to watch: Madrid’s left wing
Dortmund caused a shock by eliminating PSG – who missed chance after chance in the second leg in Paris – but Madrid will be a different proposition.
As we’ve discussed, although Madrid seem to thrive in moments of pain and often score goals against the run of play, there is always a method behind the chaos.
Ancelotti’s use of a 4-4-2 in possession allowed for plenty of rotations at the top of the field. These are generally oriented towards the left flank.
In the Champions League this season, 42% of Madrid’s attacking touches have been channeled towards the left third of the pitch, where Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have taken turns tormenting the opposition full-back.
They also opened up a new world for Jude Bellingham.
The €103m (£80m; $111m) summer signing – he joined from Dortmund and that upfront fee could hit a club record with variables – has slowed his scoring somewhat of late, but none of his teammates have consistently scored more (with 23, he is tied with Vinicius Jr in all competitions).
You probably don’t need to be told to keep an eye on Bellingham. The 20-year-old’s market value was recently estimated at €280 million, a world record, by the CIES Football Observatory, a Swiss research group. But you may not know him as well as our La Liga editors, who recently shared what they learned from his first season.
All that firepower in attack, with Endrick already signed and Kylian Mbappe expected to join him…
The managers in charge
Let’s first mention Carlo Ancelotti. When he leads Madrid to Wembley to face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, it will be his sixth Champions League final as manager and his 1,324th match in the dugout during his career.
He already holds the record for the most Champions League trophies won as a coach (four). This will be his 204th match in charge of the competition, another record.
And yet, despite all this, as Dermot Corrigan recently wrote, the idea remains that the 64-year-old is not really a top coach. Does he get the credit he deserves?
Dortmund boss Edin Terzic, 41, was born in the area to a Bosnian father and Croatian mother who settled after arriving as “gastarbeiters” (guest workers). He grew up as a Dortmund fan and it is the only team he has managed in a managerial role.
A year ago, he cried in front of the team’s Yellow Wall block of fans as they just failed to win the championship title. This season, he almost lost his job twice. He faced opposition from his own supporters and, at different times, from two of his most experienced players.
But Dortmund still beat teams they were never expected to beat en route to tonight’s encounter against Madrid.
The path to the final
Madrid, new La Liga champions, qualified for the round of 16 ahead of Napoli, SC Braga and Union Berlin. Dortmund, who finished fifth in the German top flight, came out of the ‘group of death’, finishing ahead of PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle.
In the round of 16, Madrid defeated RB Leipzig 2-1 on aggregate, while Dortmund defeated PSV Eindhoven with a 3-1 aggregate victory. Then the path to the final was set.
Dortmund will be the nominal ‘home’ team at Wembley and will play in their usual yellow and black jersey. Madrid will wear its famous all-white.
How to watch
According to UEFA, the match will be broadcast in more than 200 territories and will reach 450 million people worldwide, with an estimated global average audience of around 145 million.
The final will be broadcast in the United States on CBS/Paramount+. TNT Sports’ deal with UEFA means the broadcaster must make the Champions League final free-to-air in the UK.
Auf wiedersehen et adios
Let’s say goodbye – or see you later – with a final word on two departing club legends.
Toni Kroos will play his final match for Real Madrid on Saturday, ending a remarkable 10 years at the club, always lived on his terms. He is still going strong, but has decided to retire from football after playing for Germany in the 2024 European Championship on home soil this summer.
Kroos, 34, is one of four Madrid players (along with Nacho, Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal) who could win a sixth Champions League medal, a joint record.
This would bring them into a tie with Paco Gento. No one has more than the former Madrid winger, who died aged 88 in 2022. He was a key part of the team that won the first five editions of the competition (when it came to the European Cup) from 1956 to 1960, adding another in 1966.
Like Kroos, Marco Reus will also bow out at Wembley. The 35-year-old Dortmund legend deservedly scored a free-kick in his final home game earlier this month, his 170th goal for the club in 12 years.
Reus featured in that final defeat to Bayern in 2013, which was Kroos’ first taste of success in the competition.
Ultimately, winning the club game’s biggest prize would be a farewell, before perhaps moving on to MLS.
(Top photo: Brendan Moran – Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images)
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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