All Hail Champions League Kings! It’s Title No 15 For History Makers, Real Madrid

• As Borussia Dortmund rue missed chances in 0-2 final defeat 

There is no contention about it. Real Madrid are and remain the undisputed Kings of UEFA Champions League.

It is now their European Cup No 15 and the ninth from nine finals since the Champions League rebrand in 1992 while AC Milan are distant second on the list with seven wins.

Interestingly, it is also record breaking performance for Los Blancos contingent. The newly crowed Spanish La Liga Champions have won six finals in the last 11 seasons alone while for Coach Carlo Ancelotti, it is now his fifth as a manager – a record; he has two more from his playing days.

On the players’ part, it is number six championship medals for Carvajal, Nacho, Kroos and the substitute Luka Modric, equalling Paco Gento’s all-time mark.

Enduring a torrid first 45 minutes in which Borussia Dortmund were impressive and they offered next to nothing as an attacking force, Madrid bounced back in the second half with Dani Carvajal in the 74th minute and Jose Vinicius Junior in the 83rd minute making the difference to gift them the Champions League Trophy for the 15th time. 

It is the competition that Real Madrid like to think they own and the reasons why were mapped out in graphic detail at Wembley yet again. Dortmund brought the punch of the underdog and they played with a stirring liberation in the first half, creating chances and, well, missing them. It was impossible to think they would not regret it.

After the break, Real Madrid reset and when they started to press, everybody knew they had seen this familiar movie, especially the ending.

If Vinícius Júnior was a symbol of Madrid’s travails in the first half – booked for a lunge at the Dortmund goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel; guilty of a lack of conviction, at times – he relocated his game to dazzling effect thereafter.

In the first 45 minutes, Dortmund’s right-back, Julian Ryerson, had been up close and physical against him, enjoying success. After the interval, Vinícius was simply too much, flicking on the afterburners, making his moves, including a jaw-dropping stop-and-go nutmeg on Ryerson.

It was Dani Carvajal who scored the crucial first goal, getting in front of Niclas Füllkrug to flick home a Toni Kroos corner. And something seemed to break in Dortmund at that point.

Few people had believed Edin Terzic’s team would escape the group of death with Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Newcastle, let alone get past PSV Eindhoven, Atlético Madrid and PSG in the knockout rounds. The only faith came from within their ranks.

Now it waned. Madrid poured forward. Jude Bellingham, who was below his best, was denied by a last-ditch Nico Schlotterbeck challenge; Eduardo Camavinga worked Kobel from distance; Nacho did likewise with a header from a corner.

Dortmund have been the eternal bridesmaids in recent years and they would be so again, their fate confirmed when Ian Maatsen played a loose pass to Bellingham and he released Vinícius, who was never going to miss.

Dortmund’s cast-offs, journeymen and unheralded names would summon one last push on 87 minutes, Füllkrug flashing home a header from Karim Adeyemi’s cross only to be pulled back for offside.

There was no fairy tale for the team that finished fifth in the Bundesliga. Against Madrid – in this tournament – they do not happen.

Typically, it was a star-studded occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson, Zinedine Zidane and Figo among those present; Jürgen Klopp, too. The former Dortmund manager was given a tremendous ovation by the club’s supporters when he was pictured on the big screen.

Dortmund dominated the first half, bringing the aggression in the duels, their No 8s, Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt, stepping high. It was remarkable to see how they got runners in behind the Madrid defence.

They enjoyed a concerted patch of pressure around the midway point when they created their openings and there were two huge ones.

However, as it has always happened, another night of celebration came calling and the irrefutable kings of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid have a new trophy and medal to decorate their locker.

Again, all hail the kings of club football in Europe! – With The Guardian reports