Real Madrid came back from 2-0 down against Wolfsburg in the first leg to win 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night. Two early goals in the first half followed by a free-kick in the second were enough for the Blancos to move to the semi-finals.
Here is how various pundits, players and managers reacted after yesterday's big Champions League match:
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was thrilled with his side’s display and he was eloquent in his praise for match-winner Cristiano Ronaldo. He, however, also gave credit to the entire team.
"What can I say about Cristiano Ronaldo? He has showed again he is the best player in the world. He is a special player," Zidane said.
"But at same time, Cristiano needs all the team. What we want, what he wants, is to speak of the team, what they have done together."
Zidane also said that it was his best night as a coach so far.
"The players came from 2-0 down. So it was my best night as a coach, so far, for sure."
Real Madrid’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo hailed a ‘perfect’ Champions League night.
"We were intense and we managed to go through. I said it would be a magic night," Ronaldo said. "I would like to stick with what the rest of the team have done, they played very well, and of course the fans who always support us. There are always special games in the Champions League. Today was a more intense game, more vibrant and that meant a perfect night."
Ronaldo scored the 37th hat-trick of his career and he said that scoring goals was in his DNA.
"So many hat tricks is not bad is it?" Ronaldo said. "Goals are in my DNA. And I want to keep scoring them for the team. These things arrive naturally. I do not look for them. We will see what happens. I always give my all, people who know me know that. When you put the work in then things come for you. Every day I go to sleep relaxed as I work very hard and I am a professional."
He also had a go at pundits who kept criticising him for having a mixed season.
"Considering this has been a 'bad' season for me it has not been that bad,"
Finally he took to his Twitter account to thank the Madridistas for their support.
Gareth Bale also expressed his joy on his Twitter account
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the club’s icon
Ramos told Spanish TV after the game that Ronaldo had proven his worth again.
"Despite some runs without goals, he is always a great goal scorer and he is our icon," Ramos said. "Cris deserved a magic night. We need him, he gives everything for the badge, has been showing for a long time that he is number one. When he is in good form you notice it."
German midfielder Toni Kroos was pleased with the night as can be seen on his official Twitter account.
Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking was dignified in defeat and he admitted that Madrid deserved a place in the semi-finals.
"They have deserved to go through and won fairly. We did not play as we wanted," he told a news conference.
"We have not been so bad, but we have not understood what had to be done. We lost many balls."
Hecking said "We have been unlucky because the last two goals have been set-pieces and we should have defended better.
"We needed a goal to reach the semi-finals. I congratulate Real Madrid because they deserved to go through."
First leg goal-scorer Maximillian Arnold was disappointed with how Wolfsburg started the game.
"In the first 20 minutes we were too cautious, but we got a grip on ourselves after that. We lacked a little fortune up front.“
Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio was proud of the effort put in by the Wolfsburg players and he said that Real Madrid’s relief at getting through was evident.
"When you see the relief at Real, then I think it's fair to say, we were close to causing a sensation."
Famous Arsenal fan, critic and Twitter celebrity Piers Morgan could not resist taking a dig at Oliver Giroud.
This last tweet shows just how phenomenal Ronaldo has been in the Champions League.
