Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved himself to be the man for the big
occasion as his hat-trick gave holders Real Madrid a commanding 3-0
advantage in their Champions League semi-final against city rivals
Atletico Madrid.
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner has seemingly saved his best for
Europe's premier competition this season, scoring five of Madrid's six
goals in their pulsating quarter-final triumph over Bayern Munich, and
he headed the opener after 10 minutes at a raucous Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid's fans unveiled a huge banner celebrating the 2014 and 2016
final triumphs over their neighbours before kick-off and Ronaldo ensured
the knife-edge tension of those extra-time and penalty shootout wins
would be removed from this tie.
The contest fell into a familiarly fractious and cagey rhythm after
the interval, but Madrid's talisman intervened to render the last
European match at the Vicente Calderon a formality.
Ronaldo rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner in the 73rd
minute and claimed the matchball four minutes from time, meaning a grim
catalogue of misery in this European fixture continued for Diego
Simeone's side.
It mattered little as Madrid made short work of Atletico's famously misery rearguard soon afterwards.
Sergio Ramos' initial cross was cleared by Diego Godin, but Casemiro
clattered the loose ball into the turf and back towards the six-yard
box, where Ronaldo stole in front of Stefan Savic to head home.
Atletico were rattled and needed a fine save from Oblak in the 16th
minute after Raphael Varane glanced Toni Kroos' corner low to the
goalkeeper's left.
Oblak's opposite number Keylor Navas was out sharply to thwart Kevin
Gameiro, with the Atletico forward's attempt to round him lacking
conviction.
Madrid continued to make most of the running – Benzema hooking an
overhead kick beyond the crossbar in the 29th minute after Ronaldo
tormented Atletico's makeshift right-back Lucas Hernandez to send in the
cross.
Carvajal brought down Yannick Carrasco at the other end, giving
Antoine Griezmann the opportunity to flight a wonderful free-kick into
the Madrid box that a stretching Godin volleyed over.
A highly satisfactory half for Madrid ended with a couple of their
players in the wars – Casemiro left with a bloodied lip after defending a
40th-minute corner before Carvajal limped off with an apparent
hamstring injury in stoppage time.
The second half resumed at an undulating pace, with Isco and Saul
Niguez earning bookings for clumsy fouls on Hernandez and Carvajal's
replacement Nacho respectively, but both team struggled for precision
with the final ball as the occasion began to weigh heavily.
Isco was a touch fortunate to escape a second booking when he caught
Koke late – an argument Atletico boss Simeone made in animated fashion
on the touchline – and Zinedine Zidane responded by sending on Marco
Asensio in place of the Spain playmaker.
It was a change that married itself to growing tension inside the
Bernabeu until Ronaldo took it upon himself to expel the anxiety.
Benzema did well to hold up a Marcelo cross, but Ronaldo still had
plenty to do with a bouncing ball and Filipe Luis in close attendance.
He steadied himself to rip a venomous strike beyond the helpless
Oblak and leave Atletico staring at a bitter, localised brand of
European disappointment once more – one made all the more potent when
substitute Lucas Vazquez set up Ronaldo for his seventh Champions League
treble.
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