Real Madrid's Champions League adventures have long been like a high-wire act. How is it the Spanish giants don't stumble and fall? Yet they don't.

As boss Carlo Ancelotti hoisted the giant trophy for a fifth time, Real won it for the 15th, the bold challenge of Borussia Dortmund overcome at Wembley with late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr.

There were plenty of celebrations amid the pyrotechnics over the stadium. A familiar drama had been brought to a familiar conclusion.

It is not quite a case of "if you've seen one of these victories you've seen them all", but many of the opponents Real have left broken-hearted in these finals in recent years – Atletico Madrid and Liverpool chief among them – will sympathise with the pain Dortmund felt as they walked forlornly in front of their magnificent fans who illuminated Wembley with their colour and made it echo to their noise.

Real stumbled around in a dreadful first-half performance, spooked by Dortmund's pace and intensity, living on their nerves as they somehow got to half-time level.

Karim Adeyemi will wonder whether he should have shot rather than try to go around Real keeper Thibaut Courtois when clean through, then whether he could have done better with another chance that was saved.

Niclas Fullkrug saw his shot bounce back from the inside of the post, the striker thwarted by Courtois after the break from a powerful header.

And all the time there was a growing sense of inevitability that Real would survive and prevail when they looked deep in trouble, as they did against Manchester City in the quarter-finals and Bayern Munich in the last four.