Berlin (dpa) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored all three goals as Real Madrid overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to reach the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
Real, now in their sixth straight Champions League semis, were joined by Manchester City, who reached the last four for the first time after a Kevin de Bruyne goal gave them a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain for a 3-2 aggregate.
Real started powerfully at the Bernabeu stadium and needed just 17 minutes go level on aggregate after their 2-0 defeat last week in Wolfsburg.
Ronaldo had a simple task from six yards to turn in Dani Carvajal’s deflected low cross from the right in the 16th minute.
The Portugal striker then made it two just over a minute later with a glancing near-post header from a Toni Kroos corner. He struck the decisive third goal for his hat-trick with a 77th-minute free-kick which went through the Wolfsburg wall.
The hat-trick was a fifth in the competition to equal Lionel Messi’s record, with Ronaldo taking his tally to 16 goals in 10 Champions League games, one short of his own record in 2013-2014.
«For those who doubted Ronaldo, he has vindicated himself again,»
Ramos said.
«We need him. There were people that thought the comeback was not possible but we managed the rhythm of the game well.»
After Real’s double strike, Wolfsburg then needed a goal to go through but it was the 10-time European champions who came closest to a fourth, with the visitors’ keeper Diego Benaglio saving twice from Karim Benzema and Jese.
The Bundesliga side did have their moments after settling midway through the first-half. Luiz Gustavo with a shot saved by Keylor Navas, and Bruno Henrique with an effort wide had given them some hope of snatching a goal, although a setback came with the first-half loss of Julian Draxler to injury.
However Real were always threatening to score a third. Benaglio did well to keep out what would have been an own goal by Josuha Guilavogui diverting a Luka Modric cross, and the keeper kept out a Sergio Ramos header from a Kroos corner when the ball bounced off the inside of the post and against the keeper’s leg.
Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking told Sky Sport: «It is annoying to lose through two goals from set-pieces.
«At this level small things decide things. I was satisfied with phases of our game but in the end we didn’t have the punch.»
In Manchester, De Bruyne broke the deadlock in the 76th minute, curling the ball into the right of the goal from outside the area to give the Premier League side victory and ensure PSG’s exit in the quarter-finals for the fourth year in a row.
«It feels great. We played a very good game,» De Bruyne told BT Sport.
«PSG didn’t create a lot and I think we deserved to go through. We are in the semi-finals, anything can happen. It will be tough but we are looking forward to it.»
City could afford to miss a first-half penalty when Sergio Aguero was brought down by Kevin Trapp while trying to round the keeper, who was shown a yellow card.
The Argentinian striker took the penalty himself but put his spot kick wide of the left-hand post.
Joe Hart saved a Zlatan Ibrahimovic free-kick shortly after the break and also kept out a Thiago Silva downward header from a corner as PSG vainly sought the goal they needed before City struck to give them the task of scoring twice.
«An amazing night for us,» Hart told BT Sport.
«We have worked hard in this competition. We struggled to start with but we have started to compete.»
On Wednesday, defending champions Barcelona defend a 2-1 lead at Atletico Madrid, while Benfica host Bayern Munich, 1-0 down from the first leg. The semi-final draw is on Friday.
