In the Zone: How Madrid turned the tide on Dortmund

Real Madrid achieved their 15th triumph in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on Saturday, though they had to earn it the hard way against a Borussia Dortmund side who executed their game plan to good effect in the first half.

In this article brought to you by FedEx, the UEFA technical observers' group analyse several key tactical features from Saturday's Wembley final: from Dortmund's attacking display in the first period to Madrid's subsequent second-half adjustment and their decisive set-piece threat.

Report, analysis: Dortmund 0-2 Real Madrid

Live 01/06/2024

Real Madrid win Champions League: Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior see off Dortmund

Dortmund made most of the running but Madrid sealed their 15th European crown thanks to two second-half goals.

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BVB's threat in behind

The first half offered a story of near-misses by Edin Terzić's team as they accumulated eight shots to Madrid's two – and an xG (Expected Goals) of 1.88 to their opponents' 0.07. Hence the first video below focuses on their attacking efforts, starting with Karim Adeyemi's one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois after 21 minutes.

We see Dortmund building in a 4+1 – something they mixed with a 3+2, as seen in previous rounds – and gaining a 3v2 overload in the centre of the pitch. The UEFA technical observers at Wembley noted how Mats Hummels was able to carry the ball forward without pressure before threading a wonderful pass beyond Real's high defensive line, for the pacy Adeyemi to break onto.

The BVB winger leaves Dani Carvajal flat-footed as he runs across him on the inside, while Antonio Rüdiger is taken out entirely by the precision of Hummels' through-ball. Yet as Frank de Boer said admiringly: "Sometimes it is just the quality of pass."

In the attack in clip two, Emre Can feeds Marcel Sabitzer in lots of space centrally and he and Jadon Sancho combine down the right, with the latter producing a cut-back that Adeyemi almost capitalises on but for Federico Valverde's intervention. This is an illustration of the problems caused by Sabitzer and Sancho on that side, the pair often working with full-back Julian Ryerson to achieve overloads against Kroos and Ferland Mendy.

According to Aitor Karanka, "Dortmund had the confidence and the intensity in the first half" and clip three shows another quick attack following a turnover which ends with the influential Julian Brandt's pass sending Adeyemi breaking into space again behind Madrid's defence. However, as David James observed, as with his prior opportunity, Adeyemi's first touch takes him wider of goal and his ensuing angled shot is saved by Courtois.

Summing up BVB's attacking efforts, Terzić said afterwards: "We were always dangerous in terms of ball possession – if we build up with four, if we build up with three – and we've been very dangerous on counterattacks but we couldn't manage to score and that was the key to why we didn't manage to win the game."

Finally, Dortmund's desire to get forward in that first period is captured in the last clip which shows them break forward from Madrid's only corner of the half – a 6v3 counterattack which even includes Hummels, a centre-back racing into the opposition half.

From an educational perspective, the UEFA observers agreed that such moments need to be chosen carefully by defenders. "I found it fascinating that Hummels feels free to go," said Roberto Martínez. "For young players you have to explain that it can't be every time but if you see the opportunity why not? As a centre-half, why not open your legs and go into the final third?"

Madrid find better balance

This second video displays Madrid's shape in the second period, when they gained more control in central areas following a tactical adjustment by coach Carlo Ancelotti, with Valverde coming inside and Rodrygo staying more on the right. Ancelotti explained: "We didn't have enough balance to deal well with the transitions. We lost a lot of balls in the opponents' half and we weren't well positioned.

"To fix this, we decided to change the system, to have more concentration in the centre of the field. We'd started with Valverde on the right and then put Rodrygo [there] to allow us to have Valverde with [Eduardo] Camavinga and Kroos."

Dortmund, as the technical observers identified, were well set up defensively with Niclas Füllkrug, Brandt, Sabitzer and Emre Can in a diamond shape, well-positioned to press and with support on either side from the wingers. Yet as clip one shows, Madrid now had better balance behind the ball themselves, with Valverde getting closer to Kroos and Camavinga in a midfield trio.

Afterwards Dortmund striker Füllkrug praised Madrid's composure on the ball, saying that they were "always calm if the game wasn't as they wanted". Yet if the vastly experienced Kroos – who had more touches (108) and more line-breaking passes (20) than any other player – embodied that sense of calm, Madrid, as Rafael Benítez observed, are also a team with energy and legs in their midfield.

Clip two demonstrates this. We see Madrid's controlled possession and better defensive balance – but also the industry of the hard-running Valverde, who shepherds the ball away from Brandt in the lead-up to Vinícius Júnior delivering a dangerous ball which is almost met by Jude Bellingham on a trademark late run into the box.

Madrid's set-piece menace

"You see how we lost the momentum of the game through a set piece," said Terzić of the final's opening goal, scored by Carvajal from a Kroos corner. It was Madrid's fourth goal from a corner this season – a total matched only by neighbours Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

According to UEFA's observers, Madrid had already provided warnings of their set-play threat, with Carvajal for instance heading over four minutes after the restart from another Kroos delivery.

This third video above begins with another example from later in the match – Kroos aiming for the near post where Madrid have a concentration of bodies with Nacho getting in an attempt saved by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. "Toni Kroos' ball was pretty much the same ball every time," said James. "It was put in the same place and it was consistent."

As shown in clip two, it was another inswinging kick by Kroos, his fifth of the second period, which brought the breakthrough with Carvajal's header. The observers highlighted several things, starting with the way the Madrid full-back was left free to move into space by his marker, Ian Maatsen. Ultimately, though, it was the quality of the ball from Kroos, on his final Madrid appearance, that they wished to underline.

"Real Madrid are trying to play to the near post every time," said Benítez, "and the main thing is to put the ball there with a good delivery."

One trend discerned during this campaign has been for teams to have as many as six players attacking corners. In these two examples, Madrid have five – but Kroos' quality ensured it was enough. "It is great for Real Madrid how they attack the near post," added Benítez. "That was clearly a plan – put the ball there, with good pace and bodies so you don't even need to block."