Carlo Ancelotti praised Vinícius Júnior’s “extraordinary character” and “energy” after the Ballon d’Or contender scored a second-half hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 5-2 Champions League comeback win over Borussia Dortmund.

Madrid were 2-0 down at half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu – after Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens scored for the visitors – before goals from Antonio Rüdiger, Vinícius and Lucas Vázquez put the European champions ahead.

Brazil international Vinicius scored two more goals to complete his hat-trick and leave Madrid in positive spirits ahead of Saturday’s Clásico against Barcelona.

“It’s unusual for a player to have a second half like he did,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “He played with energy and intensity, with exceptional character.”

Vinicius’ hat-trick came less than a week before the 2024 men’s Ballon d’Or winner is confirmed at a ceremony in Paris.

“I think (Vinicius) will win, but not because of what he did tonight,” Ancelotti said. “It’s because of what he did last season. The three goals tonight will help him win the next Ballon d’Or!”

“We know that anything can happen at home with our fans,” Vinicius told Movistar. “When we got to the dressing room (at halftime) we were very quiet, we just listened to the boss. And he said one thing: If we score the first goal, we will come back. And we did it.”

“Sometimes you can feel it on the field,” said goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made five saves in the game. “I don’t want to say that you feel the fear of the opponent, but you feel that after the first goal, with the stadium, we will score goals.”

Ancelotti criticized his team’s attitude in the first half but said they delivered “our best second half this season”.

“We started the first half without much intensity,” he said. “We were too shy. We can play with more energy and take risks.”