Borussia Dortmund may well be wondering now what might have been. For the answers, they only have to look at Bayern Munich. Manchester City could also use a helpful ear. The next teams to be on the receiving end of this canny Real Madrid side are the recent finalists.

As the 88th minute in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in the Bernabeu neared, Bayern Munich still felt optimistic about their route to Wembley. In the second leg of their quarterfinal match, City registered an astonishing 33 shots and still lost on penalties.

Dortmund lost a key period in the game during the first 45 minutes of the Champions League final. Seven of the eight shots that Edin Terzic’s team recorded were taken from a box. “We failed to get goals,” Terzic noted after the game. “That was the key.”

These are the two wasted opportunities that they will never forget in their life. This made the opportunity more challenging because Karim Adeyemi tried to leave Thibaut Courtois behind. However, even though he scored past the goalkeeper, Niclas Fullkrug’s attempt struck the outer pole. Sadly, they did not understand history in a three-minute period.

Each tense moment in the game was just adding to the feeling that Real Madrid was going to come out as the winner. This growing confidence, as if every time they came close to defeat only served to make Madrid’s grip on the trophy tighter, is a peculiar feeling. That is the extent of their psychological impact and their authoritarianism in this tournament. Victors of the fifteenth time in Europe.

Sometimes they seemed barely awake for entire halves, allowing Dortmund to create numerous openings due to Madrid’s initial intensity. Other teams might have become uneasy under such strain. Still, their confidence probably would not have been threatened even if they had ceded. The decisive factor would be the failure of Dortmund to capitalize on the chances they had in the match.

It is said that finals are not just created with intent of being played, but with an intention to be won. This particular Madrid’s team, which is comprised of the winners, knows how to keep the eye on the prize even when faced with difficulties. Being awarded the player of the match by Dani Carvajal seemed to be fitting more and more; it was a sign of his endurance in the heat and focus in the face of mounting pressure.

Previously, Paco Gento was the record European Cup holder with 6 titles which is unthinkable given that no other team was able to lift the trophy again for 25 years. Notably, four of them in this Real Madrid team have achieved it, with six triumphs to their fold.

The first goal came from the teamwork of two players. In the last club match of his illustrious career, Toni Kroos delivered a perfect cross into the box for Dani Carvajal’s header. The 32-year-old full-back, unbelievably had not scored a goal in this competition in the past nine years. Nevertheless, this group is great at identifying the chance.

Think about Thibaut Courtois. He had four clean matches in four matches and entered the Champions League season for the first time this year and regained his attention after being discharged from a serious knee injury. He was perfect and unbeatable yet again.

Jude Bellingham was not at his best for a considerable time of the game due to muscular strains. However, he was still able to accomplish the second goal and after it was done, he fell to the ground overwhelmed with joy. He recounted afterwards that it was the greatest night of his early life.

Given that he has won the Player of the Year in Germany and Spain at the age of 20, he is arguably the best football talent produced in England. He now has a Champions League win in his first season as a footballer. Fortunately, Vinicius Junior is here. His second here put paid to Dortmund’s hopes and in the 2022 final he was on target with the only goal of the game. He was as efficient as a steam-roller despite the fact he was not as good as Bellingham. It was neatly put by Terzic: “That is why they are champions.”