Carlo Ancelotti tips Vinicius Jr to win Ballon d’Or after heroics in win over Dortmund

MADRID – Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti praised the “extraordinary” Vinicius Jr, after the Brazilian forward scored a second-half hat-trick to help them fight back from two goals down to thrash visitors Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League on Oct 22.

The Italian tactician said he was convinced that the 24-year-old will win the Ballon d’Or when the world’s best player for 2023-24 is named on Oct 28.

“What I can say is that it’s rare to see a player who plays a second half like Vinicius did. And not because of the three goals but because of his character. He’s extraordinary,” Ancelotti said.

“Vinicius is going to win (the Ballon d’Or), not for what he did tonight, but for what he did last year. These three goals are already going to count for next year’s Ballon d’Or, that’s for sure. He is a player who gets whistled at because he can make a difference.”

In a rematch of last season’s final, Ancelotti said there was no panic after Real went into the break 2-0 down, adding that his side had the maturity and experience to mount a comeback.

Donyell Malen swept the German side into the lead in the 30th minute following a defence-splitting pass from Serhou Guirassy. Real defender Eder Militao was left beating the turf in frustration four minutes later when Dortmund’s English winger Jamie Gittens, 20, flew in at the back post to double Dortmund’s lead.

Vinicius told Movistar: “Things were very quiet when we got to the dressing room 2-0 down at half-time. But we listened to the boss and agreed on one simple thing: If we can score first, then we’ll fight back and win once again.”

True enough, Antonio Rudiger halved the deficit with a powerful header from a Kylian Mbappe cross on 60 minutes.

Vinicius equalised two minutes later by tucking away a stray ball, the goal being awarded by the video assistant referee (VAR) after the French star was shown to have been onside in the build-up.

A rare Dortmund foray forward resulted in a fine Thibaut Courtois save, with the holders then racing straight down the other end and Lucas Vazquez lashing home on 83 minutes.

Vinicius scored again three minutes later after a lung-busting sprint down the line from his own half before completing his hat-trick in stoppage time as Real, who lost to Lille in the previous round, produced another comeback in Europe’s elite club competition. It was also the perfect tonic for their next match on Oct 26, when Real host leaders Barcelona in the La Liga.

“Talking about scoring three goals might have seemed utopian, so we talked about small details like passing well, winning duels... We had to win the dynamic of the game and from there you start to win the game,” said Ancelotti, adding that it was their “best second half of the season”.

But Real will be without Courtois and forward Rodrygo for the Clasico after both sustained leg muscle injuries. They are already without captain Dani Carvajal and defender David Alaba, both recovering from ACL tears, for Barca’s visit. 

Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin rued his decision to take off his scorers to reinforce his defence early in the second half.

He replaced Gittens with defender Waldemar Anton in the 55th minute, with holding midfielder Pascal Gross taking the place of Malen two minutes after Real had made it 2-2.

“We noticed that we were being pushed back, we had defensive problems and I thought we should go to the three-man defence,” said Sahin. “It’s my mistake... There will be criticism, but that’s something I have to face. We defended very, very badly. But also we have to factor the individual class of Real, a complete team.”

Dortmund next face Sturm Graz in the Champions League, while Real will take on AC Milan, who beat Club Brugge 3-1 on Oct 22.
REUTERS, AFP