“In this cup and in this place, anything can happen,” said Vinícius Júnior, barely audible amid the madness after another night of it happening. Real Madrid goes Real Madrid. One hundred and forty days after they met at Wembley, the Champions League finalists faced off again and Borussia Dortmund scored twice in four minutes midway through the first half, the fastest team to get here and take a two-goal lead in almost twenty years. , so Real Madrid went and scored five even faster. “We went in at half-time to shit ourselves, but we listened, we said take one and we’ll come back again,” the Brazilian revealed, and so it was.

Madrid had gone into the dressing room 2-0 down, goals from Donyell Malen and Reading-born Jamie Bynoe-Gittens giving Dortmund the lead they deserved. A banner before the match announced that this was Madrid’s crown and cup, which it always was and always will be, but at the time you wondered if maybe it was just Dortmund’s night. However, history has so often warned of the opposite, the ridiculous routine of today, and here it was repeated. Madrid wins, that’s what they do, and in the end they deserved it; their brilliant second half produced five goals and underlined their candidacy for the trophy they like to consider their own.

Madrid went from 2-0 to 2-2 in 103 seconds, goals from Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius. Then Lucas Vázquez put them ahead with seven minutes to go, and less than a minute after Thibaut Courtois had saved them from falling behind again. In the end, Vinícius produced two more, the first a big finish, to complete a hat-trick and make another comeback for the club that can’t get enough. Delirium held firm, chants of “this is how Madrid win!” Only one team has ever won a Champions League match by three goals, having previously been behind by two – and they were too.

This was a night; In the end it was all thunder, but the touch that started it all was wonderful, so soft, so subtle, it was as if Serhou Guirassy had worn slippers to the Santiago Bernabéu. The Dortmund striker, who arrived for €18 million in the summer, received a loose ball in the area and didn’t so much kick it as sweep it across the grass on the turn and between Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy to Malen, who was alone in front stood. van Courtois opened the scoring.

The goal they couldn’t score in London, Dortmund got in Madrid, and soon they had a second, doubling the lead after 36 minutes. No one had come here so early in 18 years, led by two. Once again the goal was superbly executed: Julian Brandt found Malen on the right, who burst past Mendy and crossed the six-yard box. After a diagonal sprint from the right that Vázquez only saw when it was too late, Gittens had to finish.

At 20 years and 75 days, Gittens had just become the youngest Englishman ever to score against Madrid. The look spoke of what this moment meant and, pointing, he thanked Malen for giving it to him. He then blew the smoke out of his finger guns. Éder Militão clenched his fists, covered his face and punched the turf, unable to believe this. Whistles came from the Bernabéu that at least woke them up.

As if danger was needed to get going, Madrid immediately created chances. Vinícius’ long pass found Jude Bellingham alone, but his header went straight to Gregor Kobel. Then Rodrygo checked his chest and hit a volley against the crossbar, the ball falling to Bellingham, who hit it back, the ball bouncing on the line and out. Where Brandt almost scored a bizarre own goal just as quickly, only to be saved by Kobel. Dortmund had survived three near misses in as many seconds. If that would have been game-on, it was almost game over the next minute, with Courtois flying to save Brandt’s shot.

Madrid left at half-time on the whistle and also appeared to them again, but they would be replaced by roars, that we’re after you now noise that the Bernabéu makes, soundtrack of countless comebacks. Previously listless, now there was life: aggression, pace, intention. Kobel saved from Vázquez and then from Vinícius as the storm began to stir. And although Malen was denied by Courtois, Dortmund took refuge deeper in their area, Nuri Sahin’s decision to replace Gittens with defender Waldemar Anton only inviting the siege. Rudiger crashed through their defense to head home Kylian Mbappe’s cross in the 59th minute. That feeling returns.

Oh, they’re coming, okay. Less than two minutes later they arrived. Mbappé’s running and tumbling led to Vinícius rolling into an open net. The flag was raised, the outburst held and then, via VAR, was unleashed again, even louder. They hadn’t even played twenty minutes into the second half and Madrid had already scored ten shots and had no intention of stopping; Dortmund, overwhelmed, only wished they would.

In reality, it looked like Dortmund could have weathered the worst of the storm; In fact, they actually could have won this. When you face Real Madrid, that is usually the moment when you lose. With eight minutes to go they ventured out, Maximilian Beier, Brandt and Emre Can leading them onto the pitch to where Beier’s shot from six yards was saved by Courtois. Forty-six seconds later, Vázquez was on the other side and hammered past Kobel, the finish matching Rodrygo’s run to keep the move alive. Dortmund were ready; Madrid was not. Madrid never is.