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IN PICS: Ronaldo hits hat-trick, Real and Atletico reach semis

Sport360 staff 01:38 19/04/2017

Real Madrid battled back to stun Bayern Munich and book passage to a seventh straight semi-final with a contentious 4-2 win after extra time in the second leg in Madrid thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.

Bayern, needing to score at least twice to have any chance of going through, set about attacking Madrid from the outset, putting the home defence under plenty of pressure in the first half, although it was only after the break that they found the back of the net.

Arjen Robben went down under Casemiro’s challenge in the box, a moment that saw the already-booked Madrid midfielder fortuitously avoid a second yellow. It was the first of several key decisions to go Madrid’s way.

Robert Lewandowski’s penalty levelled the tie on aggregate, although Madrid were still going through on away goals.

Their progress seemed confirmed when they withstood the Bayern pressure before hitting back to find an equaliser, Ronaldo steering a header past Manuel Neuer from Casemiro’s cross to put Madrid back ahead on aggregate. But that was simply a prelude for what was to come.

Sergio Ramos, no stranger to dramatic late goals, was credited with one in his own net this time to draw Bayern level. It was a scrappy goal, but it put the tie on a knife’s edge, with the score 3-3 on aggregate and both sides having tallied two away goals.

There was more drama to come as Arturo Vidal was sent off for a second yellow card, for a challenge that looked like a perfectly good tackle.

Despite going down to ten men, Bayern Munich looked the likelier team to score a goal for the remainder of normal time, but they couldn’t get the winner.

Madrid began to assert themselves again in extra time, and with the man advantage, it was only a matter of time before they exploited tiring Bayern legs to go ahead. The pivotal goal was again controversial as Ronaldo was clearly offside when he received the ball, before expertly lashing a finish past Neuer.

The home side put the tie to bed in the second half of extra time, with Ronaldo completing his hat-trick after an excellent run from Marcelo and Marco Asensio adding gloss to the scoreline with a mazy run and exquisite finish.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have advanced to their third Champions League semi-final in four years after getting a 1-1 away draw against Leicester City to win 2-1 on aggregate.

Saul’s first-half goal meant Leicester needed to score three on the night to progress, and although Jamie Vardy got one, ultimately the Atletico defence was too strong.

The Foxes were dominant after Vardy’s goal and came close to getting a second to set up a grandstand finish, but the defending Premier League champions’ Champions League fairy tale is at an end.

MOMENT OF THE NIGHT

While the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich game had all the thrilling moments, as well as plenty of controversial ones, Jamie Vardy’s goal at the King Power Stadium gets the nod here. For a brief, euphoric moment, it seemed Leicester City might just be capable of one more miracle.

BEST GOAL

It came when the tie was all but beyond doubt, but Marco Asensio’s interception, run, and finish confirmed what a talent the 21-year-old is.

BEST TWEET

The Bundesliga and Bayern Munich accounts have their say on Munich’s second goal…

BEST STAT

Cometh the hour, cometh the man…and tonight, cometh a century. What a career Cristiano Ronaldo’s had.

PLAYER OF THE NIGHT

That man Ronaldo. Every time the whispers get louder about the Portuguese star’s powers being on the wane, Ronaldo delivers the perfect riposte. A hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals to bring up 100 Champions League goals – who writes this man’s scripts?

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