It was like night and day. Real Madrid was one team during the first half, and another one in the second. Something happened in the dressing room that woke up some players who seemed to have gone out to play while sleepy.
There was a lack of intensity, fight and pressure in the first half. Ancelotti's players were running around, asking for the ball at their feet. They played as if it weren't necessary to run at all to beat Dortmund.
And then came the two German goals and the nerves in the dressing room by half-time. Ancelotti, very upset with what he saw in the first half, told them off. He reminded them where they were and demanded a new competitive spirit.
"I Know we can Come Back from this Game"
What was seen in the second half was something else. In a press conference, Ancelotti admitted: "I said that it was utopian to come back, but also that we should focus on the small details."
"Not missing passes, making good crosses, winning duels. When you win duels, you earn the dynamics of the game. It all changed with the 1-2."
What Ancelotti didn't say is how he motivated his men. These were the words he used at half-time—and which MB had access to—to achieve a radical change in Real Madrid:
"I know we can turn this game around. We have shown our ability to react many times. Remember who you are, you are Real Madrid."
And he concluded: "Go out onto the field with the same intensity and conviction as always."
Vinícius: "Coach Asks Us to Make Matches Easier"
Vinícius then went into more detail about what happened in the dressing room during the break. He revealed that "we arrived at the dressing room very quietly. We listened to the manager and we said one thing: If we score the first goal we will come back again."
For Vinícius, the only secret to the comeback is "...believing in ourselves. We know that at home, with our fans, anything can happen. And we did it, thanks to the fans and the team, who gave their all."
"But we have to improve and play this way from the start. Otherwise, the manager won't be able to hold on!"
He also revealed that at half-time "the coach asks us to make games easier. We changed the formation in the second half, as well as the dynamics, because this is our competition and we want to win it again."