The Champions League semifinal first leg turned out to be a Cristiano Ronaldo playground as the Portuguese superstar wrecked havoc against Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid dismantled their city rivals to a 3-0 defeat in the first leg and all but confirmed their place in yet another European final.
Ronaldo scored a magnificent hat-trick with one first half goal and two in the second to continue his brilliant run in the knockout phases.
Though the match was expected to be a close one with Diego Simeone wanting to take revenge on his side's previous failings against the same opposition, the Rojiblancos failed miserably. Real Madrid won the midfield battle against Atletico and took the game away from the visitors.
From the first minute, Real Madrid were more eager for a win than their counterparts and totally deserved their victory over their neighbours.
Without further delving into how Real Madrid scripted a fine win, let's take a closer look at how each player performed in the all-important semifinal clash between the two Madrid teams:
(All players are rated out of 10)
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas - 7
Navas showed quick feet as he came out of his line in a flash when Kevin Gameiro had a one on one chance with the Real custodian. He timed it to perfection as a moment's delay would have cost him a red card and a penalty to Atletico.
Dani Carvajal - 7
The fullback started the game brilliantly and overlapped on the flank at will. His brilliant one-two with Benzema in the first half brought out a brilliant save from Oblak when he was through on goal. Sadly, Carvajal suffered an injury just before half time which brought curtains for the Spaniard.
Sergio Ramos - 8
The captain played like a composed defender at the back and with no fuss. He dealt what came in his way effectively and was superior in every aerial duel that he was involved in.
Raphael Varane - 8
After a much-awaited comeback, Varane showed just why Real Madrid were missing him so much. He kept Griezmann silent and barring Gameiro's attempt in the first half, Varane never allowed the attackers to get behind him. He also had a brilliant header saved by Oblak.
Marcelo - 7.5
Another consistent showing by the Brazilian who gave makeshift right back, Lucas Hernandez a torrid time. He always provided an option going forward on his flank and handled the threat of Carrasco exceedingly well.
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Casemiro - 7
He had to play with a bust lip after getting a knock on his face but carried on with intent in his natural position. Casemiro never gave any space to Griezmann whenever the Frenchman dropped deep and guess what, he also avoided getting booked this time around.
Toni Kroos - 8
Not only did Kroos use the ball well when in possession, the German made some important tackles and interceptions which are not associated often with the midfield maestro. Kroos pressed hard and won the ball on numerous occasions for his team.
Luka Modric - 7.5
The Croatian ran the show from midfield as he dictated the tempo of the match and threaded passes brilliantly. Surprisingly, Atletico gave way too much time for Modric to operate which made matters easy for him.
Isco - 8
A brilliant performance again by the Spaniard as he continued his purple patch. He had a 100% passing rate in the first half and was unarguably the second best player on the pitch after Ronaldo. Isco committed a silly foul on Koke which on other days could have seen him get a red card.
Karim Benzema - 6.5
Benzema was devoid of luck against Atletico as he tried everything to get on the scoresheet but it wasn’t meant to be. His night was saved by an assist which he provided to Ronaldo for his second goal, after winning a physical battle with Diego Godin.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 10
Second consecutive hat-trick in the Champions League and second over Atletico Madrid this season. The great man took his tally to over 50 goals scored in the knockout stages of the Champions League after netting three more against Diego Simeone's side.
First was a trademark Ronaldo header with the second being a brilliant half-volley from the edge of the box. He completed his treble with an off-balance shot and gave Real Madrid a more than healthy lead going into the second leg.
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Substitutions
Nacho Fernandez - 7He came on for the injured Carvajal and slotted in perfectly. Nacho went over his second half display without any fuss and ensured no errors crept in his game.
Marco Asensio - 7
Replaced Isco and showed glimpses of pace in his 20-minute cameo. Asensio is proving to be a brilliant option from the bench for Zidane and he proved that again with a decent display against Atletico.
Lucas Vazquez - 6
Vazquez picked out his passes well but did nothing major in his short time on the field.
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak - 7
The Slovenian made three stunning saves to avoid a humiliation at the hands of their rivals as he yet again proved his reputation as being one of the best in the world. But he must have done better for Ronaldo's headed goal for which he was slow to react.
Lucas Hernandez - 5.5
The youngster had a tough time against the overlapping Marcelo on his wing. He bore the brunt of some terrible fouls by Real Madrid, firstly an elbow by Sergio Ramos and then a cynical foul by Isco. A learning curve for the exciting defender.
Stefan Savic - 4
Savic was at fault for the first goal as he reacted late to a mistimed Casemiro shot which was enough for Ronaldo to smash it home. A more robust performance was needed by him but he failed to do so on the night and also received a booking in the second half.
Diego Godin - 5.5
He was good in the air and took his team out of danger at times. Godin sprayed the ball around well and also had a brilliant chance on the other half of the field with a half volley which he skied into the stands.
Filipe Luis - 6
Luis was the best defender for Atletico at the Bernabeu as he showed intent from the word go and pressed and harried the opponents incessantly. He later grew frustrated with his teammates as they failed to match the work rate of the former Chelsea man.
Gabi - 5
Gabi was good on the ball but lacked positional sense when off it. He was overrun by the Madrid midfielders as he just could not cope up with the pace of the home side.
Saul Niguez - 3
A shocker of a display from Saul as he looked completely out of sorts. He was slow to react and gave away possession on numerous occasions. He lacked concentration which made Diego Simeone lose his mind on the touchline on some occasions.
Koke - 4
He dropped wide to the flanks and also came close to make a midfield four for Atletico but could not make much of an influence offensively, just like his other teammates.
Yannick Carrasco - 5
After getting the nod to play, Carrasco showed immense work rate in the first half and looked lively for the majority of his outing. He was later substituted, not for his display, but because of his match fitness.
Kevin Gameiro - 3
The former Sevilla man was devoid of service for the majority of the game but had the chance of the night in the first half. Had Gameiro taken full use of that opportunity, the result would have been very different for the visitors. It was a one on one chance which Gameiro should have done better with.
Antoine Griezmann - 4
The game was being touted as a battle between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Griezmann just didn't arrive on the centre stage. He cut a sorry figure for the Colchoneros as he tried everything but could not pull off anything to inspire a comeback. A night to forget for the Frenchman.
Substitutions
Fernando Torres - 4
The veteran never looked as if he would do anything to trouble the Real Madrid defence and went largely missing.
Nicolas Gaitan - 5
He looked confident as soon as he came on but lacked a final ball to carve out a chance for his teammates. Though he performed better than his teammates, more is expected from Gaitan to validate a starting berth.
Angel Correa - 5
Just like Gaitan, he arrived with a purpose but soon had his fizz taken out of the game by some resolute defending by the home side.
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