Everyone wins at the Bernabeu

There was nothing on the game for Real Madrid who had guaranteed their place in the last 16 as runners up of Group H, while Dortmund needed a point to secure their passage into the Europa League without depending on Tottenham.

But the German side’s hopes of European football after Christmas began to look bleak as soon as Real turned the screw early in the first half. The hosts struck after eight minutes.

Borja Mayoral simply dinked his finish over the goalkeeper after Isco’s touch on the turn released him inside the area. Isco’s assist was superb, after Cristiano Ronaldo fed the ball in from the left flank.

The Portuguese striker himself pounced a mere four minutes later. The Bundesliga outfit chasing the ball around, Kovacic pulled the ball back for Ronaldo to become the first player to score in all six games of a Champions League group stage campaign. And he did so delightfully, with a precise effort into the far corner from the edge of the box.

At this stage, Dortmund were all at sea, unable to cope with the wave of white shirts that kept pouring forward. But that’s the way football is, it can all change in the blink of an eye.

The visitors fired a couple of warning shots, mainly through the imposing figure of Aubameyang. The Gabonese striker’s speed was a constant threat for Madrid’s backline and his testing efforts brought Dortmund back to life.

Zidane’s men looked to reassert their control in a midfield that was becoming increasingly congested and, just after Mayoral came inches away from putting the Germans at arm’s length with a third goal, Aubameyang capitalised on Madrid’s complacency by steering a terrific header past Navas at the stroke of half-time.

Zidane’s team talk was not enough to stop Aubameyang from single-handedly picking apart Madrid’s defence. The striker floored Sergio Ramos and, after Navas saved his initial effort, he produced a sublime chipped finish to equalise within three minutes of the restart.

Madrid were forced to up the tempo in front of a stunned crowd at the Bernabeu but Dortmund looked more compact in defence and made it harder for the hosts to create chances.

As the pressure grew for the visitors, it was only a matter of time before Madrid found the back of the net. Ronaldo saw his goal disallowed after a borderline offside decision, before Lucas Vazquez volleyed with the outside of his foot and the ball squirted into the bottom corner.

Real Madrid closed the group stages with another win and a goal for Ronaldo to recover his confidence, while Spurs' win over Apoel means Dortmund are still guaranteed a place in the Europa League. A win-win situation.