It was a nail-biting night at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid secured a late winner to edge past Borussia Dortmund 3-2, booking their place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The Spanish giants went ahead early with goals from Borja Mayoral and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang responded fiercely, netting twice to level the scores at 2-2.
In an intense and closely contested second half, Lucas Vazquez emerged as the hero, firing home the winner in the 81st minute to send the home crowd into delirium.
Match Report
Real Madrid started the match full of energy, breaking the deadlock in the 8th minute. Ronaldo made a dazzling run down the wing before setting up Isco, who brilliantly assisted Borja Mayoral to slot an easy goal past Dortmund’s keeper Roman Burki.
The home team wasted no time in extending their lead, with Nacho connecting to a precise cross from Mateo Kovacic before Ronaldo capped off a slick move with a clinical finish to make it 2-0.
Just before halftime, Dortmund’s Aubameyang sparked hope by heading home from an accurate cross by Marcel Schmelzer, narrowing the gap to 2-1.
Early in the second half, Aubameyang struck again, finishing from close range following a clever flick-on from Shinji Kagawa, bringing the score to a thrilling 2-2.
Both sides created chances in the tense final stages. Real’s Ronaldo came close to restoring the lead but was denied by disciplined defending and a contentious offside call.
Then, in the 81st minute, Vazquez capitalised on a superb pass from Theo Hernandez to deliver the decisive strike, securing a memorable win for Real Madrid.
Dortmund pushed for an equaliser in the closing moments, but efforts from Kagawa and Mahmoud Dahoud flew wide, sealing the victory for the hosts.
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