The winger will arrive at the Copa América as a favorite for the Ballon d’Or after Madrid’s victory in the fifteenth Champions League.
Vinicius Jr has done it again. In a Champions League final in which his team decided not to appear for almost 75 minutes, the Brazilian made his mark in another European Cup victory, scoring the second goal and establishing himself as the best in the world with another memorable performance in a great game against Borussia Dortmund this Saturday.
Madrid were off their usual levels for long periods at Wembley, but caught on late, veteran Dani Carvajal scoring the first, before youngster Vinicius scored the second to seal a 2-0 win and their 15th European Cup .
Dortmund had the better of the chances for long periods, going close twice in five minutes, with Niclas Fullkrug’s shot bouncing off the post. They had more opportunities in the first half, when Thibaut Courtois denied a Marcel Sabitzer attempt to ensure parity at the break.
The Whites stayed there and every time Dortmund missed half a chance, it seemed like the inevitable was yet to come. All the signs that Madrid were getting back in were there, as Dortmund made some weak passes and the ball started bouncing in Madrid’s direction.
They needed a corner to change the game definitively. Toni Kroos scored and Carvajal, the shortest player in the area, made his way through a crowd of bodies to head home in the 74th minute. From then on everything seemed routine, as Madrid controlled the match, and a pass from Ian Maatsen in his own field gave the victory to Los Blancos, as Jude Bellingham picked up the remains before assisting Vinicius, who remained calm to finish from inside the area.
It was the Brazilian’s second goal in a Champions League final and his 24th in all competitions this season. Once maligned for his tendency to fail when it mattered, Vinicius has become the quintessential key player, the man Madrid can rely on for a big goal. On Saturday she gave birth again. A Ballon d’Or could also be on the way now.
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