Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund through the years: Collapsing goals & Lewandowski magic

This Saturday, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will clash at Wembley in pursuit of Real’s 15th European Cup and Dortmund’s second. Although this is their first meeting in a final, the two teams have already produced some thrilling encounters in other rounds of the Champions League.

Overall, Real Madrid and Dortmund have faced each other 14 times, resulting in six wins for Real, five draws, and three victories for Dortmund.

Their first encounter was in the 1997-1998 season during the Champions League semi-finals. Madrid aimed to secure their seventh title after a 32-year drought. The first leg, held at the Bernabeu, became historic not just for the football but for an unusual incident.

Minutes before kick-off, one of the goals collapsed. A group of fans falling in the area caused the cables holding the goal to snap, bringing it down. The club had to quickly improvise to ensure the match could proceed.

Real Madrid’s delegate, Agustin Herrerin, rode a motorbike to the Ciudad Deportiva and fetched a replacement goal, which was transported to the Bernabeu. The match resumed an hour and a half later.

On the field, Real Madrid delivered a strong performance, winning 2-0 with goals from Fernando Morientes and Christian Karembeu. The second leg ended 0-0, and Madrid eventually won the Champions League final in Amsterdam against Juventus.

The teams met again in the 2002-2003 group stage, with Madrid winning 2-1 at home and drawing 1-1 in Dortmund. They would not cross paths again until the 2012-2013 season.

In 2012-2013, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund faced each other four times. In the group stage, Dortmund won 2-1 at home, and the match in Spain ended 2-2. The semi-finals that season were particularly memorable.

After eliminating Malaga in a controversial quarter-final, Dortmund thrashed Madrid 4-1 in Germany, with Robert Lewandowski scoring four goals in 58 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo netted Madrid’s lone goal.

In the second leg at the Bernabeu, Mourinho’s Madrid played valiantly but lacked the finishing touch to complete the comeback. Goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos in the last 10 minutes brought Madrid close, but they couldn’t find the third goal needed.

Dortmund advanced to the final at Wembley but narrowly lost to Bayern Munich, who scored a late winner.

In the 2013-2014 quarter-finals, Real Madrid and Dortmund faced off once more. Real Madrid thrashed Dortmund 3-0 at the Bernabeu with goals from Gareth Bale, Isco, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite Marco Reus’ brace in front of the yellow wall, Dortmund’s attempt at a comeback fell short by a goal.

Their most recent encounters were in the group stage. In 2016-2017, the matches ended in 2-2 draws, while in 2017-2018, Real Madrid won both games, 3-1 in Dortmund and 3-2 at the Bernabeu.