Champions League: Real knock down yellow wall

London, June 2

In an explosion of gold and silver confetti, Real Madrid held aloft the Champions League trophy for a record-extending 15th time on Saturday.

The most familiar sight in European club football’s greatest competition felt as fresh as ever after a 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley Stadium. “Getting used to it? Never,” said Carlo Ancelotti, who extended his own record of wins as a coach to five. “The dream continues.”

A white wall of Madrid fans at one end of the stadium serenaded their conquering heroes after goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior sealed the victory.

A predictable result came in less than predictable circumstances after Dortmund dominated the chances in the first half.

“It was a very difficult game, much more difficult than we had expected,” Ancelotti said. “We changed things because in the first half we were a bit lazy.”

Carvajal headed Madrid in front in the 74th minute and Vinicius doubled the Spanish giants’ lead nine minutes later. Ancelotti’s fifth Champions League title was his third in two spells with Madrid and two more than his closest rivals Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola and Bob Paisley. — AP