Real Madrid player ratings vs Borussia Dortmund: They’re at it again! Champions League comeback kings pull off another heist as hat-trick hero Vinicius Jr outshines Kylian Mbappe once more while Lucas Vazquez goes from zero to hero
Carlo Ancelotti's side staged another miraculous turnaround at Santiago Bernabeu in a rematch of last season's European final
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Real Madrid produced Champions League magic yet again on Tuesday, overturning a 2-0 half-time deficit to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 and get their European campaign back on track.
Vinicius Jr was the Blancos standout on the night, grabbing the second, fourth and fifth goals, but it was Lucas Vazquez’s go-ahead strike that will stand as the lasting feature from a memorable night.
Dortmund took the lead after a back-and-forth opening 30 minutes. Serge Guirassy flicked the ball through to Donyell Malen – who battered it home past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. Jamie Gittens added a second four minutes later, sneaking in at the back post to turn in Malen’s cross.
Madrid responded with a brief onslaught in which they did a fairly remarkable job of not finding the net. Jude Bellingham missed a golden chance, then smashed an effort off the crossbar. Rodrygo, too, hit the woodwork, before a full-stretch save from Gregor Kobel stopped a freak deflection from sneaking in.
Madrid, inevitably, woke up after the break. A more cautious approach from Nuri Sahin invited pressure from the home side, and a purring front line delivered. Toni Rudiger scored the first – heading home Kylian Mbappe’s cross, before Vinicius buried the equaliser less than two minutes later.
Everything else felt inevitable after that. Vazquez smashed in a third, before Vinicius provided two more outrageous goals to complete his hat-trick, and wrap up another memorable Champions League win.
GOALÂ rates Real Madrid’s players from Santiago Bernabeu…
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AFPGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Could do nothing about either Dortmund goal. Made a couple of good saves soon after to keep things close enough. Another vital intervention kept it at 2-2 shortly before Vazquez scored.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
From zero to hero. Gave the ball away in the run up to the Dortmund first and lost his man at the back post for the second. Then went and smashed home the winner in the 83rd minute.
Eder Militao (6/10):
Excellent in the early goings, but could have done better for the Dortmund second.
Antonio Rudiger (7/10):
Took his header wonderfully. The better of the two centre-backs on the night.
Ferland Mendy (6/10):
Could have squeezed the spaces more effectively on the opener, and was easily done for the Dortmund second.
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Getty Images SportMidfield
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Ran everywhere when he really could have done with holding his position a bit more. Much improved when played alongside a more traditional defensive midfielder.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
A mixed bag. Had some lovely touches and was unfortunate to hit the bar. But he missed a couple of good chances and could have been cleaner on the ball.
Luka Modric (6/10):
A bit sloppy after an impressive showing at the weekend. Redeemed himself with a ridiculous pass in the run up to Madrid’s second.
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AFPAttack
Rodrygo (6/10):
Smashed one off the post. Some of his link up play was much improved – although he could do with a goal.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Was mostly anonymous before he assisted Rudiger’s header, and got better thereafter.
Vinicius Jr (10/10):
An absolute nightmare to defend. Tied a number of opponents in knots, scored the equaliser, curled home the fourth and capped it off with a wonderful fifth. The best in the world.
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AFPSubs & Manager
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Offered some much-needed midfield solidity in the second half.
Aurelien Tchouameni (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Dani Ceballos (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Arda Guler (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Went for a pretty attacking set-up, without a true defensive midfielder, and it cost him early as Madrid were far too open at times. But they turned it on after the break. Credit for sticking with his original system, despite its flaws.
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