“In this chalice and in this place, anything can happen,” said Vinícius Júnior, barely audible amid the madness after another night of it happening. Real Madrid will be Real Madrid. 1043 days after their meeting at Wembley Stadium, the Champions League finalists met again and Borussia Dortmund scored two goals in four minutes midway through the first half, the fastest team to come here and by two goals in almost 20 years took the lead, so Real Madrid went and scored five goals even quicker. “We went in at half-time and shit ourselves, but we listened, we said get one, we'll be back,” revealed the Brazilian, and that's how it was.

Madrid went into the dressing room down 2-0, with goals from Donyell Malen and Reading-born Jamie Bynoe-Gittens giving Dortmund a deserved lead. A pre-match banner proclaimed that this was Madrid's crown and Madrid's cup, which it always was and always will be, but at the time one wondered if perhaps it was just Dortmund's night. However, history has warned so many times that the ridiculous routine has become a reality, and here it was repeated. Madrid win whatever they do and ultimately they deserved it; Their excellent five-goal second half highlights their chances of lifting the trophy, which they like to consider as their own.

Madrid went from 0-2 to 2-2 in 103 seconds, the goals scored by Antonio Rüdiger and Vinícius. Then Lucas Vázquez gave them the lead with seven minutes left, and less than a minute after Thibaut Courtois saved them from going behind again. Finally, Vinícius scored two more goals, the first with a cracking finish, completing a hat-trick and another comeback for the club that can't get enough of it. Delirium spread and shouted: “This is how Madrid wins!” Only one team has ever won a Champions League game by three goals after being two goals down – and they were.

That was one night; In the end it was all thunder, but the touch that started it all was magnificent, so gentle, so subtle, as if Serhou Guirassy had worn carpet slippers at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Dortmund striker, an 18 million euro signing from Stuttgart, received a loose ball in the penalty area and didn't so much shoot it as sweep it from the turn across the turf and between Rüdiger and Ferland Mendy, who was alone In front, von Courtois opened the scoring.

The goal they couldn't score in London, Dortmund scored in Madrid, and soon they had a second goal, the lead doubling in the 36th minute. No one had come here this early in 18 years and led in pairs. Again the goal was excellent, Julian Brandt found Malen on the right, who pushed past Mendy and moved across the six-yard box. With a diagonal sprint from the right, which Vázquez only saw when it was too late, it was Gittens who brought the ball home.

At 20 years and 75 days, Gittens became just the youngest Englishman to ever score against Madrid. The look revealed what the moment meant, and as he pointed, he thanked Malen for giving it to him. Then he blew out smoke from his finger guns. Éder Militão clenched his fists, covered his face and hit the grass, unable to believe it. Whistles sounded from the Bernabéu, which at least woke them up.

As if they needed danger to get going, Madrid immediately created chances. Vinícius' long spear pass hit Jude Bellingham alone, but his header landed directly at Gregor Kobel. Next, Rodrygo controlled his chest and fired a volley against the crossbar. The ball fell to Bellingham, who hit it back again so that the ball bounced onto the line and out. Almost as quickly, Brandt almost scored a bizarre own goal, only to be saved by Kobel. Dortmund had survived three near misses in as many seconds. If it had been game-on, it would have almost been game-over in the next minute when Courtois parried Brandt's shot.

Madrid went in and out of halftime with whistles and reappearances, but they were replaced by roars We're after you now Noise that the Bernabéu makes, soundtrack to countless comebacks. Once listless, there was now life: aggression, speed, intention. Kobel saved from Vázquez and then from Vinícius, the storm began to stir. And although Malen was denied by Courtois, Dortmund retreated deeper into their own area, and Nuri Sahin's decision to replace Gittens with defender Waldemar Anton only invited siege. Rüdiger broke through their defense and sank a header from a cross from Kylian Mbappé in the 59th minute. The the feeling comes back.

Oh, they're coming, okay. They arrived less than two minutes later. Mbappé's run and fall resulted in Vinícius rolling into the open net. The flag was high, the outburst continued and then, via VAR, it was released even louder. They had played less than 20 minutes in the second half and Madrid had already taken 10 shots and wouldn't stop; Dortmund were overwhelmed and just wished they would.

In fact, it seemed as if Dortmund had weathered the worst of the storm; In fact, they could have won that. When you play against Real Madrid, that's often the moment when you lose your temper. Eight minutes before the end they dared to attack, Maximilian Beier, Brandt and Emre Can led them across the field, where Beier's shot from six meters was parried by Courtois. Forty-six seconds later, Vázquez was at the other end, hammering past Kobel, the finish as good as Rodrygo's run to keep the move alive. Dortmund was ready; It wasn't Madrid. Madrid never is.