Real Madrid defeats Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to win Champions League

Dortmund's strong start came courtesy of a handful of players with points to prove to their English audience. Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer were cruelly cast aside by Manchester United; Ian Maatsen was overlooked and rejected by Chelsea. Emre Can, a force for Dortmund in the base of midfield, was dropped by Liverpool after four years of service. It was no coincidence that those four became Dortmund's hungriest and most effective players under the bright lights of Wembley.

Madrid marked the game from the start, doing its best to deny Dortmund opportunities to break through, and that conservative approach did wonders for it over the course of the 90 minutes. It knew that Dortmund's biggest goal threats would come from moments of transition, so it slowed the pace of the game and kept Dortmund from finding them. 

Madrid was right to do so: Dortmund created utter chaos in the rare moments it was able to sprint forward. Karim Adeyemi's breakthrough in the 20th minute caught goalkeeper Thibault Courtois off his line and very nearly resulted in the opening goal.

Madrid's 2024 Champions League journey has been full of big moments from bit players. It was former Stoke City striker Joselu who sealed the team's victory over Bayern Munich in the semis; it was faithful defensive servant Dani Carvajal who sealed its victory in the final. 

The 5-foot-8 Carvajal rose in the penalty box to head home a Toni Kroos cross in the 74th minute. He was unmarked by Dortmund's defense.

It was fitting that Madrid's victory came down to Kroos and Carvajal, two of the team's longest-standing and most respected members. While Carvajal is expected to return to Madrid's lineup next season, Kroos will not. He announced his retirement weeks before the Champions League final and will not play for Real Madrid again. He went out exactly the way he came in: calm, collected and completely in control of the match from his position in midfield.

Everything tilted in Madrid's favor once Kroos and Carvajal opened up the floodgates. Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. combined for a second goal in the 83rd minute, taking advantage of an Ian Maatsen error in the Dortmund half. It was Vini's second Champions League final goal, and it was a long time coming. He looked cheeky and inventive all game, even when the rest of Madrid's lineup couldn't quite live up to its promise.

Dortmund had one breakthrough in the closing minutes of the game when striker Niclas Füllkrug found the back of the net, but the goal was rightfully ruled offside and chalked off the scoreline. Dortmund was simply worn out by the time the call was made. 

It played brilliantly for much of the game, but fell victim to Madrid's patient build-up, as so many other teams have over the course of this Champions League tournament. Dortmund will take plenty of positives from this game, and its underrated Premier League also-rans should be proud of the performance they put in against the European champions.

With the Champions League final firmly in the rearview mirror, the world of soccer will shift its focus from the club game to international competition. The European Championships will kick off on June 15 in Germany; the Copa America will follow suit on June 20 in the United States.