Real Madrid eviscerate Atletico as Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick all but books Champions League final spot

Real Madrid 3 Atletico Madrid 0: Diego Simeone's side suffered more pain, more deflation and more dejection as they once again failed to get the better of their superior rivals

Cristiano Ronaldo put Real Madrid's neighbours to the sword to establish a healthy aggregate lead (Getty)

Diego Simeone said on the eve of this Cristiano Ronaldo-fired evisceration at the Bernabeu that, regardless of the opposition and despite so much talk of the history of this fixture, his feeling before any match “doesn’t change”. It seems that, regardless of the circumstances or context, his feeling won’t change after a Champions League meeting between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid either.

It will just be more pain, more dejection for him - another defeat. Real will just find another way to level their inferior rivals on the highest of stages, even if this particular victory was in a manner that has become so familiar to this competition - especially this season - as the rampant Ronaldo scored another hat-trick for a commanding 3-0 win that surely ends this tie as a contest.

It may also prove the kind of utterly deflating defeat that ends Simeone’s time - and maybe Antoine Griezmann’s - at Atletico, because of the likely realisation of how far they are away again. Previous Champions League matches defeats to Real have been so tortuous because of how close they had been, but you could say none of that here. It was torture in another way. There was a chasm between the sides as Real and Ronaldo continued to pull the rack, ensured it ended up in a deserved heavy win.

To only add to Atletico’s pain, they may again represent a mere signpost passed for Real on the way to becoming the first club to retain the Champions League in 27 years. They looked a side worthy of that gold-standard feat here, as they put in what might have been their best performance of the season, for one of Simeone’s worst nights.

He has rarely got it so tactically wrong, either, although that was doubtlessly influenced by the fact this first leg was at the Bernabeu against a much better Real. Having previously talked of how wary he is of conceding sucker-punch late away goals in home second legs, Simeone seemed intent on ensuring they would get an away goal of their own as pre-emptive protection and started the match surprisingly high up the pitch.

Ronaldo rose over Savic to nod home early on (Getty)

The offset was that it diluted one of their primary qualities of dogged defence, and left them so oddly open that it looked like Real could kill the tie with a series of big blows in the opening half-hour. They certainly had the chances to do so and it said much that, as early as Ronaldo’s inevitable goal was, it still felt like it was coming after Karim Benzema had properly kicked it off with an early miss.

Zidane’s side were by then pinning Atletico right back against their own goal, but there was still enough space for Ronaldo to drift into an offside position as Sergio Ramos played in a cross. It didn’t make it to the Portuguese and, by the time that Casemiro had sent the poor attempted clearance straight back, Ronaldo was fairly stealing in front of Stefan Savic for what was his 101st goal in the Champions League - one more than Atletico’s 100 at that point.

Zidane's side were dominant throughout as Simeone's crumbled (Getty)

Real threatened to be many ahead of their great rivals here as a Raphael Varane header brought a brilliant save from Jan Oblak, before Benzema narrowly missed again.

Atletico’s only response beyond the odd Kevin Gameiro break and Griezmann set-piece was an escalation in aggression - although Ramos was fortunate an apparent elbow on Lucas Hernandez went unnoticed - only to see Real escalate in attacking thrust.

Ronaldo scored Madrid's second on the volley (Getty)

Suddenly upping it after 70 minutes, Zidane’s side once more penned Atletico back in around their own goal, making it more and more difficult to clear the danger. There was that sense of inevitability again, infusing a moment that seemed to sum up the fatalism of this fixture for Atletico.

Benzema played a pass towards the box that Simeone’s defenders tried to clear three different times. All of them got it a little bit away, but not enough to actually end the attack. Then it fell at the feet of Ronaldo.

He powered the ball home with an unhesitating confidence that was seemingly beyond Atletico throughout this game. As the Bernabeu rose up in jubilant response, the heads of the Atletico players dropped in dejection, which did not suggest that they have the belief that it is going to be required in order to turn this tie around.

Atletico suffered at the hands of their neighbours once again (Getty)

This fixture has been too painful for them, too difficult.

Ronaldo then confirmed what the Atletico players already knew, that this particular tie was over, as he simply rolled the ball in for his hat-trick.

It couldn’t have got much easier for Real, but remains so difficult - and so traumatic - for Atletico.