Real Madrid stormed into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after a 3-0 quarter-final victory against Wolfsburg.
After having lost the first leg in Germany, the Los Blancos had a large two goal deficit to overcome, yet coach Zinedine Zidane was always confident of his side’s capabilities.
However, Die Wolfe dared to dream and entered the match with an unchanged starting lineup. The hosts set afast paced nature to the first term as their opponents struggled to maintain any form of posession in the opening 10 minutes.
The first goal arrived just before the 20 minute mark, after a Dani Carvajal cross found an unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo at the back post, who slotted home.
The Portuguese wizard created such a crowd elation and it took only 26 seconds for him to find the net again through a header from a Toni Kroos delivery.
It was looking ominous for the visitors with the in-form Julian Draxler forced off the pitch due to injury and replaced by Max Kruse.
But the side had several chances to score themselves and turn the tie back in their favour, yet a steadfast Real defence ensured the result would not be altered.
One final Ronaldo-esque goal from distance gave his team a semi-final berth and left the Wolves pondering what could have been.
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How Ronaldo shone in a crucial moment:
A great player is one who can prove his value in moments when it matters most.
Ronaldo did exactly this against Wolfsburg and single-handedly propelled his side into the next phase of the competition and kept their finals hopes alive. In doing so, he broke another two Champions league records, but there is no surprises there.
The Portuguese star becomes the only player in the competition’s history to have scored 15 goals or more in two different seasons. Additionally he becomes the only player to score three hat-tricks in a single season.
For critics who doubted the 31-year-old, it is safe to say that his best is yet to come.
Real again could not maintain the pressure
The hard part was undoubtedly equalising the scores, but thanks to Ronaldo, that was mere child’s play and occurred in the space of 90 seconds.
However, this sense of urgency appeared to be lost after both goals were scored.
It seemed as though a leaf was taken out of Juventus’ book, namely, take the lead then sit back and defend it.
Yet this style of play only allowed their opponents to slowly work their way back into the match and have moments where in which all of the hard work could have been unravelled.
Despite this, Wolfsburg left it late into the match to deliver a final punishing blow.
Real were lucky not to concede at times during the match and must approach their next tie with a renewed mentality.
Sitting back is not an option against any of the teams they could potentially face in the semis, with each squad looking to capitalise on any and every opportunity afforded to them.
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