Cristiano Ronaldo inspired his Real Madrid side with a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos had suffered a shock 2-0 loss in the first leg, but the Real Madrid forward showed why his team can do anything on their night.
The atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu was electric when the two teams took the field and Ronaldo’s two first half goals assured the fans of a great European night. The Portuguese scored through a free-kick late in the second half to help Real Madrid seal a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Here is a look at how the players from both sides fared:
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas – 8
The Costa Rican goalkeeper did not have much to do throughout the game as Wolfsburg could not produce any good opportunities to trouble him. He saved a couple of shots which were aimed at him and also a fierce goal-bound Luiz Gustavo long-range strike.
A neat and clean performance from the Real Madrid shot-stopper helped him to register yet another clean sheet in the competition.
Daniel Carvajal – 8
The Spanish international was very good on the right flank for Real Madrid. He made up the ground very quickly and was not troubled by Draxler and Schurrle as he defended well. He was also there to provide crosses when going forward and looked lively. He provided the cross which led to the first goal.
Pepe – 7
The Portuguese defender made up for his performance in the first leg. He was very solid at the back along with his partner Ramos. He made some crucial tackles and interceptions. The experienced defender did not let any Wolfsburg attack develop into a proper threat and was there to block everything that came at him.
Sergio Ramos – 8
The captain led by example as he played brilliantly throughout the game. He was solid at the back and covered well for Marcelo on the left. He made some important blocks to deny the Wolfsburg players such as Henrique and Gustavo.
Marcelo – 7
The Brazilian left-back was not very effective defensively as Arnold and Henrique troubled him regularly. However, he was brilliant while going forward and linked up well with Benzema whenever the striker drifted to the wide areas.
Casemiro – 7
The Brazilian was very solid sitting in front of the back four for his side. He protected his defence very well by breaking up the ball on numerous occasions. His interceptions and blocks in the penalty area were crucial as it helped Real Madrid regain possession and release the pressure.
Luka Modric – 7
The Croatian midfielder was at his best again after having a difficult first leg. He worked hard at the centre of midfield and created several chances for his forwards to take advantage of. He maintained the possession for his side and passed the ball from defence to attack very quickly, releasing his forwards at the right time.
Toni Kroos – 7
The Germany international was very comfortable on the ball throughout the game as he broke up the Wolfsburg play time and again. His crossing and passing to create something for his team was praisable. He ran tirelessly for his side to regain possession quickly.
Gareth Bale – 6
The Welshman was always there to help Real on the break as they looked to play on the counter at times. He was very good with the ball at his feet but was missing from the game in the first half. He came into the game in the second half but the cutting edge was missing from his game.
Karim Benzema – 8
The French striker had a good game after a nightmare in the first leg. He was lively from the start of the game and kept it going until he was subbed off. He got a couple of great opportunities to score and should have taken them.
He played mostly on the left wing, interchanging positions with Ronaldo throughout the game, providing some teasing crosses.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 10
The hat-trick hero was brilliant throughout the game and almost won the tie single-handedly. He was a key player in this game and he produced a performance that was required of him.
His finishing was exquisite for the first goal. The second goal was a deft header while the freekick was cheeky as it went through the wall. Overall, a good day at the office for the Real Madrid man as he took his goal tally to 16 in the Champions League this season.
Substitutes
Jese Rodriguez – NA
The striker replaced Benzema at the 84th minute and should have scored with a curling shot but Benaglio made a great save.
Raphael Varane – NA
The French defender came on in added time to replace Luka Modric.
Wolfsburg
Diego Benaglio – 7
The Swiss goalkeeper saved his side from some difficult situations by making several saves throughout the game. He was very good with his handling but could have done better with the second goal.
He was there to make contact with the ball but failed to stop it from going inside. Otherwise, he had a good game but was unlucky to be on the losing side after playing well in both the legs.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 6
The Swiss fullback was key for Wolfsburg on the night but could not produce a performance that was required to keep Madrid quiet. He did not go forward as much as he does against other teams but his set pieces were very good.
He created some difficulties for the Los Blancos defenders with his crosses and deliveries. But his defending lacked the edge and he gave the ball away on a couple of occasions.
Dante – 5
The Brazilian centre-back had a very nervy first half as Karim Benzema and Ronaldo troubled him too often but he stood up to the challenge. His covering across for his backline was good but could not stop Ronaldo from scoring the first goal. He was a good physical presence in defence but struggled for pace on occasions as Bale ran at him.
Naldo – 4
Naldo had a very disappointing game at the back for the visitors as he lacked pace. His physicality was up to the mark and he was good in the aerial battles with Ronaldo. But his tackles and challenges were often rash and ill-timed. Overall, not a satisfactory performance from the experienced defender.
Vieirinha – 4
The fullback had a very bad game as he was time and time again threatened by Benzema and even Jese. His battles in the air were always lost and he could not cover ground quickly enough while tracking back. He was non-existent in attack as well.
Luiz Gustavo – 7
The Brazilian midfielder thwarted much of the Real Madrid attacks in the first half but struggled a bit in the second. He protected his defence well and broke up the play on numerous occasions.
Gustavo could not yet close down the hosts in the attacking areas. He did have a couple of long-range shots at Keylor Navas’ goal but to no avail.
Josuha Guilavogui – 5
The central midfielder had an average game in the middle of the park as he could not stop the supply from the likes of Kroos and Modric. He did close down the Real Madrid attacks and cleared the ball away on a couple of occasions to break the play but he was ineffective in controlling the game from the middle of the pitch.
Maximilian Arnold – 6
The 21-year-old midfielder was very energetic throughout the game and provided the Wolves with some great chances to score but they were not capitalised on by his teammates.
Arnold was very good with his forward runs and attracted a lot of attention but he could not clear Carvajal’s cross and deflected it for Ronaldo to score.
Bruno Henrique – 6
The Brazilian did very well throughout the game on the right wing to show his pace and get past the Madrid defence to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He had a great chance to score in the first half and get a crucial away goal for his team, but he took too much time on the ball, which led to the chance getting wasted.
Andre Schurrle – 6
The German midfielder ran aimlessly down the left flank for his team throughout the game. He could not manage to make any real opportunities from his crosses but looked lively and threatened the Real defence.
His speed and precision were keys to him being able to get away into the Real Madrid box, with Carvajal busy attacking.
Julian Draxler – 8
The German midfielder was very good on the left wing for the visitors as he continued to trouble Carvajal time and time again in the first half. But to the Spaniard’s relief, the 22-year-old midfielder was subbed off injured only to be replaced by Max Kruse.
Substitutes
Max Kruse – 5
The German striker replaced Julian Draxler after half an hour into the game and he was disappointing as he could not produce anything worthy of a mention.
Daniel Caligiuri – 4
He came on for Henrique with 20 minutes to go. He did not see any of the ball during his short spell on the pitch and looked rusty.
Bas Dost – NA
The striker came on for Guilavogui at the 80th minute and could not produce anything as the supply to him was limited and poor.
