It was the first time Real Madrid Castilla had even reached the final of the tournament, and head coach JuliĂĄn LĂłpez de Lerma named a strong starting eleven with the intention of marking the occasion with silverware.
Sergio Mestre started in goal, protected by a back four of David JimĂ©nez, Mario Rivas, Lamini and Manu Serrano. CĂ©sar Palacios, Manuel Ăngel and CĂ©sar Cestero formed the midfield, while Bruno Iglesias, Daniel Yåñez and Loren ZĂșñiga led the attack.
The tie was settled inside six minutes. A long ball into the area was flicked on by a Borussia Dortmund head, and Taycan Etcibasi reacted with composure and quality to finish first time and beat Mestre with a clean strike. It was a cruel opening for a Castilla side who would spend most of the afternoon chasing the game.
Despite the early blow, the Madrid reserve side grew into the match and created enough chances to have won it. Palacios was lively throughout the first half, testing the Dortmund keeper with a driven effort that flashed wide in the 31st minute. The clearest moment before the interval came when ZĂșñiga struck the post with a well-struck effort that had Dortmund's goalkeeper beaten. Madrid went into the break without a goal, but the better team on the pitch.
LĂłpez de Lerma acted immediately at the interval, introducing Rachad and Liberto to inject energy into the attack. The double substitution nearly paid off within ten minutes. A goalkeeping error from the Dortmund stopper created a clear opening, but he recovered quickly to strip Liberto of the ball in the area. The follow-up shot from Liberto cleared the crossbar.
Castilla continued to dominate possession and territory but struggled to find the clinical touch the moment demanded. Dortmund defended with discipline and organisation, sitting deep and absorbing the pressure, with Manuel Ăngel and Lamini working hard to contain the counter-threat from a side dangerous on the break.
Iglesias should have levelled in the 67th minute when presented with a clear sight of goal from the edge of the area, but slipped in the act of shooting and sent the ball wide. Valdepeñas and Diego Aguado were introduced late to force the issue, but Madrid could not break through.
In the 84th minute, Dortmund almost put the tie to bed on the counter-attack, but Manuel Ăngel produced a remarkable clearance off the line to deny what would have been a second goal and likely a penalty. The effort left him limping.
The final whistle brought the dream to an end. Castilla had the better of the contest for long stretches but were undone by their failure to convert a string of opportunities against a Dortmund side that defended their slender lead with composure and efficiency.
La FĂĄbrica now turns its focus back to domestic matters, with a play-off campaign for promotion to the Spanish second tier the next objective on the calendar.