Vinicius Junior achieved a remarkable hat-trick as Real Madrid staged a spectacular comeback to defeat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 after being down 2-0 at halftime.

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Dortmund initially took control of the match with goals from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens, giving them a solid lead by the break. This matchup was a repeat of last year's final, where Real Madrid emerged victorious with a 2-0 scoreline.

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The Spanish champions began their revival in the second half, with Antonio Rudiger scoring a powerful header in the 60th minute to reduce the deficit. Just two minutes later, Vinicius equalised.

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Captain Lucas Vazquez then put Real Madrid ahead 3-2 with a fierce finish from a narrow angle in the 83rd minute. Vinicius capped off his outstanding performance by netting two additional goals late in the match, both coming after dazzling individual runs that left Dortmund's defense struggling.

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Vinicius inspires Real to win

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Dortmund seemed poised to end Real Madrid's impressive 14-match unbeaten streak at home in the Champions League when they led at halftime.

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Even at 2-2, Dortmund's captain, Julian Brandt, had a chance to regain the lead, but his close-range shot was expertly saved by Real keeper Thibaut Courtois. Less than a minute later, Lucas Vazquez scored, putting Real Madrid ahead.

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In the first half, Real Madrid struggled to mount an effective attack, with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham failing to connect, despite Bellingham hitting the crossbar while the team was down 2-0.

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However, after the break, fuelled by the inspiring performance of Vinicius—who is favoured to win next Monday's Ballon d'Or—the home team looked nearly unstoppable.

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Vinicius's second goal was particularly noteworthy; he picked up the ball in his own half, sprinted down the left flank, and fired a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

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Carlo Ancelotti's team now holds a record of two wins and one loss from their three league phase matches, matching Dortmund's performance. Meanwhile, Jamie Gittens made history by becoming the youngest Englishman to score against Real Madrid at just 20 years and 75 days old, surpassing Alan Smith's previous record of 20 years and 129 days set while he was with Leeds in March 2001.

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