Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg (agg 3-2)
Real Madrid - Wolfsburg as it happened Champions League quarter-final second leg 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to send Real Madrid through to the semi-finals, overcoming the 2-0 first leg deficit against Wolfsburg.
Full time: Real Madrid 3 - 0 Wolfsburg (3-2 on aggregate)
Many had predicted Los Blancos would turn last week's shock defeat around but by golly the second leg was still a thrilling game nonetheless. With two goals in the first half another after the break, Cristiano was the hero for La Liga's third-placed side. Real Madrid are now through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
90 + 2 | Vierinha picks up a booking for a late tackle on Bale.
90 | Three minutes of injury time to go as Marcelo comes off for Varane.
87 | Benaglio saves well to keep Jesé off the score sheet. The canterano shimmies past Vierinha and lets rip with a right-footed effort but the Swiss keeper acrobatically keeps it out.
85 | Dante smashes into the back of Ronaldo like a freight train in the centre circle and picks up a booking as a result. Adrenaline allows CR7 to spring to his feet.
84 | Jesé on for Benzema. With the prospect of playing extra time a real possibility Zidane waited a long time to make his first sub.
81 | The night's hat-trick hero has a yellow card brandished in his face for an overly eager sliding tackle.
80 | Guilavogui makes way for Dost as Hecking looks for a goal.
Little chance of extra time now as Madrid take the lead for the first time in this tie. The Portugal international places a cleverly hit free-kick through the Wolfsburg wall and into the bottom corner.
75 | Goal!!!!! Cristiano!!!!! 3-0!!!!
74 | Luka Modric surges forward with the ball in tow and is chopped down by Gustavo, who picks up a yellow for his trouble. Ronaldo eyeing up the set-piece...
70 | Henrique, one of the visitors' liveliest men tonight, comes off the worst after clashing into Sergio Ramos. The physio's come on to treat the Brazilian who looks to be concussed.
69 | Dante comes close! The ex-Bayern Munich defender towers over Ramos to connect with a Rodriguez pass but Keylor Navas makes easy work of snuffing out the danger.
64 | Where's the Hawkeye?! Sergio Ramos leaps high and mighty to meet a Kroos corner and thump it against the post. The ball appears to cross the line but the replay shows that's not the case. This ain't Lisbon.
63 | Less than 30 minutes of normal time and anything could happen. Los Merengues are winning in the possession stakes but Wolfsburg could easily sniff out a counter-attack with so many Madrid players pushing forward.
59 | Modric storms down the right flank and before falling sends a meek cross towards the front stick. Guilavogui nearly stirs the pass to no one into his own goal but Benaglio spares the Frenchman's blushes.
55 | Henrique clatters into Kroos outside the box and the Hungarian ref blows for a foul. Ronaldo, who went down looking for a penalty moments earlier, blasts the resulting free kick into the five-man wall.
51 | Modric picks out Carvajal with a delicious cross-field ball. The Spaniard squares a low pass across the Wolfsburg box that Vierinha gets to it first to give the visiting back line a temporary breather. Madrid playing like a team possessed at the moment. Ramos has been guilty of straying forward on a few occasions since the half-time break.
48 | Madrid have rediscovered their hunger after the break. Bale sends an inviting ball into the area, which if not for some quick thinking from Rodriguez could have put Los Blancos in the lead for the first time in their tie.
Fact: Before tonight four of the five goals Wolfsburg conceded in this season's Champions League came in the final 15 minutes, a fact that doesn't bode well for Hecking's troops.
46 | Viktor Kassai blows his whistle to get the second half underway..
Half-time: Madrid have nearly achieved what they set out to do. Before the twenty-minute mark Ronaldo had levelled the tie with two goals in quick succession. However, rather than sink into themselves, Wolfsburg have instead came out of their shells and created some chances of their own. Keylor Navas was forced into some heroics and then Henrique wasted a clear chance to net a valuable away goal. Still plenty of twists and turns left in this one.
45 + 1 | Max Arnold gets his name in the referee's book for a rash challenge on Casemiro, Madrid's own hatchet man.
42 | A nervy end to the half from Zidane's men who are sitting back and absorbing attack after attack from the Bundesliga wolf pack.
38 | Henrique fluffs a golden opportunity to swing the tie back in the Germans' favour. The South American playmaker fails to make the most of the massive target standing in front of him and instead guides his shot into Marcelo's leg.
36 | Marcelo hits the deck after Vierinha catches him with a stray arm. The Brazilian appears to be knocked out cold but soon dusts himself off once the medical staff make their way onto the pitch. What is it about playing Wolfsburg that inspires the left back to showoff his acting chops?
33 | Keylor passes his first test. Henrique sends a long-distance thunder bolt the Costa Rican's way but the ex-Levante shot-stopper reacts well to palm the shot out for a corner. The oxyegen was momentarily sucked out of the Bernabéu by 80,000 collective gasps.
31 | The Germans’ misery is compounded as Draxler is forced to come off with an injury. Taking the first leg’s man-of-the-match is Max Kruse.
28 | Benzema tries his luck from the edge of the box but no dice as his right-footed effort is easily dealt with by the Swiss keeper.
21 | Los Blancos are humming now but one goal from the visitors would quickly silence the crowd. Wolfsburg win a free kick on the left, which Draxler launches into the mixture. Naldo rises to meet the cross but is the lines man waves his flag.
17 | And another! Madrid get the equaliser. Carvajal sends another ball towards the back stick for Ronaldo but Vierinha tracks back in time to nod the cross out to touch. Toni Kroos takes the resulting corner and CR7 (who else?) nips in to head the ball into the back of the net. (2-2)
The Bernabéu erupts! Carvajal justifies his inclusion with a low cross to the back stick where Ronaldo finishes off cynically. Wolfsburg defence caught napping.
15 | Gooaal!!! Real Madrid 1 - 0 Wolfsburg
13 | Rodriguez sends a wayward pass into the centre of the park that Casemiro intercepts and then plays straight to Ronaldo. The Portuguese puts his head down and attempts a dribble but Dante puts an end to his plans with a well-timed tackle.
9 | Madrid are pressing the Wolves high up the pitch so far but Rodriguez and Vierinha are not breaking under the pressure just yet. The two full backs have been impressive in the face of Bale and co's harrying.
7 | Modric bursts forward and finds Benzema who completes a smart one-two by sending the Croatian through on the left. The ex-Spurs man hits a first-time cross in search of Ronaldo but Naldo clears the danger.
5 | Sergio Ramos gets under a Kroos corner and manages to stir the ball goalwards and onto Benaglio's crossbar. Busy start from Madrid.
2 | Decibel levels are close to deafening as the fans cheer on the home team who work a lovely move through Wolfsburg's midfield, but it all comes to nothing as the ball eventually bounces off Bale's back side and into touch for a goal kick.
1 | And we're off...
Benaglio and Ramos exchange pleasantries with the officials and now both sets of players observe a minute's silence for Filipe Luis.
Hair on the back of the neck time as the CL anthem rings around the Bernabéu.
Teams are in the tunnel... Less than five minutes to go and the Real Madrid anthem booms out round the Bernabéu.
Mister Chip Stats:
- Of the 45 German sides that have taken 2-0 leads into European Cup second legs, 43 have managed to progress to the next round
- The last time Madrid fought back from a two-nil deficit to win in any competition came in 1993 when Benito Floro's charges beat Mallorca 3-0 to march on in the Copa del Rey
- 28 German teams have played Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, with only four of them losing by more than two goals, while six were beaten 2-0.
Fans are streaming into the Bernabéu now and, in spite of the mountain Zizou's boys have left themselves to climb if they're to get their name into Friday's pot in Nyon, the mood is remarkably buoyant in Chamartín.
Benzema looks to be fully recovered from the knee problem that saw him limp off against Eibar on the weekend. Himself, Bale and Ronaldo will be hoping to put on a BBC display more akin to David Attenborough's 'Planet Earth' than 'Don't Tell the Bride'.
Despite the two-goal deficit Real Madrid have gotten the better of German opposition the last four times of asking in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The last Bundesliga side to send Los Blancos packing was Jürgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund back in 2013.
The Bernabéu faithful have got the starting XI they wanted as Danilo, James and Isco snuggled up on the bench.
Teams:
The Real Madrid team is out, Zidane goes with:
Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Bale, Benzema, Cristiano
While Dieter Hecking sticks with the same line-up as last week:
Benaglio, Vierinha, Naldo, Dante, Rodriguez, Luiz Gustavo, Guilavogui, Arnold, Bruno, Henrique, Draxler, Schürrle.
Preview
Real Madrid's undecima dreams hang by a thread and their mettle under Zidane goes up on trial at the Bernabéu tonight.
Cristiano believes they can reverse the damage done in the Volkswagen stadium and Zidane said Real Madrid "never contemplate elimination".
Wolfsburg, however, are well aware of what's at stake: An historic moment in the club's history knocking out Real Madrid to reach the Champions' League semi-finals.