Real Madrid booked their place in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday by beating Wolfsburg, 3-0, to overturn their 2-0 first leg defeat. It was another night in which Cristiano Ronaldo shone with the Portuguese attacker netting all three of his side's goals.
3 things we learned from Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Wolfsburg
A brilliant performance from Cristiano Ronaldo saw Real Madrid into the Champions League semifinals.
Madrid were on the front foot from the very first whistle and Wolfsburg were quickly forced uncomfortably deep. They initially managed to repel the crosses angled into their penalty area, though after a quarter-of-an-hour, their resistance was broken. Some poor defending allowed a rather weak Dani Carvajal ball to find its way through a crowded penalty area and Ronaldo made no mistake at the back post.
It took less than two minutes after that for the hosts to equalize on aggregate with Ronaldo getting on the scoresheet once again. He was left completely free on a Toni Kroos corner and glanced the ball into the back of the Wolfsburg goal. Keeper Diego Benaglio certainly didn't cover himself in glory and the visitors looked at risk of totally capitulating.
But, to their credit, the German side managed to steady the ship after going two goals down despite losing star man Julian Draxler to injury after 32 minutes. As the clock ticked on they began to grow in confidence and a rocket from distance by Luiz Gustavo required a tip over the crossbar. Four minutes later they went even closer, though winger Bruno Henrique dawdled in the box and his shot was well blocked by Marcelo.
Halftime served to disrupt Wolfsburg's growing influence and Madrid were back on top when things resumed in the second period. A string of early half-chances were created, though they were invariably squandered by the hosts' profligate attackers. They went agonizingly close five minutes past the hour when Sergio Ramos headed a corner against the base of the post, with the ball promptly rolling along the goalline and into the arms of the grateful Benaglio.
Extra time seemed increasingly inevitable, but Ronaldo had other ideas. With just over 10 minutes left he curled an inch-perfect free-kick beyond Benaglio and into the back of the net to seal his hat trick. From there the German side had no way back and only a couple of fine saves by Benaglio on Benzema and Jesé prevented Madrid from making the scoreline even more one-sided.
Real Madrid: Keylor Navas; Marcelo, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modrić; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema (Jesé 84'), Gareth Bale.
Goals: Ronaldo (15’, 17’, 77’).
Wolfsburg: Diego Benaglio; Ricardo Rodríguez, Dante, Naldo, Vierinha; Luiz Gustavo, Josuha Guilavogui (Bas Dost 80'); Julian Draxler (Max Kruse 32'), Max Arnold, Bruno Henrique (Daniel Caligiuri 72'); André Schürrle.
Goals: None.
3 Things
1. Wolfsburg paid for two minutes of madness
For a significant chunk of this leg, Wolfsburg were more than a match for Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane’s side put in what was -- for the most part -- a fairly tame attacking performance and the visitors’ defense looked fairly confident in keeping them at bay. That will have made the two minutes of madness in the first half all the more painful for Wolfsburg, whose elementary errors undermined their otherwise-sturdy defensive performance. They’ll be kicking themselves in the dressing room.
2. The Wolves barked but lacked their first leg bite
Though they did well to steady the ship at 2-0 down, Wolfsburg didn’t quite have enough to win the game. They certainly weren’t helped by the early forced withdrawal of star attacker Draxler and struggled to convert their short spells in possession into real scoring chances. Perhaps they’d have been a little better served by taking a few greater risks when Real Madrid lulled.
3. Ronaldo’s as important to Real Madrid as ever
It was a peculiar performance from Real Madrid. After the game’s first quarter they were 2-0 up and Wolfsburg were reeling. It was easy to imagine Madrid going on to win the tie handsomely. But almost immediately their intensity dropped, allowing Wolfsburg to gain a stranglehold on the game and regain their composure. The exemplary Cristiano Ronaldo screamed in frustration at halftime, and it was little wonder. Ultimately, the legendary winger singularly made the difference in this match, and his individual brilliance is every bit as crucial to Madrid’s fortunes as ever.
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