Real Madrid 3 Wolfsburg 0: Cristiano Ronaldo hailed by team-mates after inspiring brilliant comeback
The Portuguese forward's hat-trick secured Real's sixth consecutive Champions League semi-final appearance
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Your support makes all the difference.Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos hailed team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after a hat-trick from the Portuguese forward helped the Spanish to a 3-2 quarter-final victory over Wolfsburg on Tuesday night.
Two goals in as many minutes from Ronaldo levelled the aggregate scores at half-time, before a free-kick completed his treble and sent Real through to a sixth consecutive semi-final.
“For those who doubted Ronaldo, he has vindicated himself again,” Ramos, who himself hit the woodwork twice, said.
“We need him. There were people that thought the comeback was not possible but we managed the rhythm of the game well. It's been a complicated season for me, with a lot of pain. I needed a night like this and now we're going to enjoy this.”
Real Madrid are joined by Manchester City in Friday morning’s draw for the last four, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich favoured to join them as they defend leads at Benfica and Atletico Madrid respectively on Wednesday night.
“It was sensational, from the first minute to the last,” Ramos said of the raucous atmosphere at the Bernabeu. “When the fans really get behind the team they are like another player. The team played with all its spirit.”
Team-mate Marcelo echoed Ramos’ comments, lauding the spirit shown by Real in recovering from a two-goal deficit.
“No team gets to the semi-finals without suffering,” the Brazilian said. “We played well and gave another side of ourselves. Cristiano is a great player. I’m sure he’s happy with his goals but happier with the fact his team has qualified.
“We can’t choose our rivals in the draw, we’ll see what happens. It was a fantastic night. The fans were phenomenal and without them we wouldn’t have been able to turn the game around. It was a very difficult night. In the games in the Champions League you have to suffer.”
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