Vinicius Jr. Leads Real Madrid to Stunning 5-2 Comeback Against Dortmund in UCL Final Rematch

Real Madrid pulled off yet another remarkable comeback on Tuesday, overturning a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in a rematch of last season's Champions League final.

Vinicius Junior was pivotal in Madrid's fightback, securing a hat-trick that bolstered his growing case for the Ballon d'Or. This marks only the second time Madrid have won a Champions League home game after being two goals down, the last occasion being a 4-2 victory over Roma in September 2004.

Dortmund took control early, with Donyell Malen and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scoring within four minutes of each other in the first half, exposing Madrid's defensive vulnerabilities. The Santiago Bernabeu crowd responded with whistles as the players headed into the break. Despite the difficult start, Madrid regrouped in the second half, turning the game around with five goals to secure a memorable victory.

Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Vazquez also contributed goals as Madrid moved to 2-0-1 in the group stage of their Champions League campaign.

"We know that when we are at home, with our fans, anything can happen," Vinicius told Spanish TV channel Movistar. "We went in (at half-time) very quiet and just listened to the coach. We said just one thing: If we scored the first, we would come back once again. And we made another comeback. Thanks to the fans and the whole team who gave everything."

Carlo Ancelotti's squad had struggled in their previous match, a defeat in Lille, and appeared sluggish at the outset against Dortmund. Lucas Vazquez, in particular, had a challenging first half, losing possession before Malen's opener in the 30th minute and failing to track Bynoe-Gittens for the second goal.

However, Madrid dominated after the break, outshooting Dortmund 17-2. Rudiger headed in Kylian Mbappe's cross in the 60th minute to begin the comeback, and two minutes later, Vinicius pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area to equalize. Vazquez atoned for his earlier mistakes by scoring the decisive goal in the 83rd minute, and Vinicius added two more late goals to cap off a dramatic turnaround.

With this victory, Real Madrid maintained their strong start to the Champions League group stage, reaffirming their status as one of Europe's top contenders.