The Sport Matrix: Wednesday 30 April 2014

Ramos the hero as Real thump Bayern

Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored twice as Real Madrid beat holders Bayern Munich 4-0 to reach their 13th European Cup final. Two Ramos headers put the Spaniards in control before Ronaldo scored his 15th and 16th of the campaign to secure a 5-0 aggregate. MORE

Mourinho hopes for ‘special’ night

Jose Mourinho has called on his team to perform on the “special” occasion of a Champions League semi-final, with a reunion with his former side Real Madrid the prize. “Some matches are special,” he said before tonight’s second leg with Atletico. “We have to enjoy it.” MORE

Ajax coach De Boer open to Spurs job

Frank de Boer has admitted his interest in discussing the likely managerial vacancy at Tottenham Hotspur, with the days of incumbent, Tim Sherwood, on borrowed time. “I’m going to think about this after 3 May,” the Ajax coach said. “I’m going to talk and listen.” MORE

Charlton safe as City are left to fret

Charlton Athletic secured their Championship safety last night, their 3-1 victory over Watford moving them five points clear of the bottom three. Birmingham remain in the drop zone ahead of Saturday’s final round of matches after a 1-0 home defeat to play-off bound Wigan.

Wimbledon prize fund rises again

The total prize-money at this year’s Wimbledon will rise by nearly 11 per cent to £25m. First-round singles losers will earn £27,000, an increase of 15 per cent on last year, while the singles champions receive a 10 per cent rise to pick up £1.76m. MORE

Another century launches Rocket

A fifth century of the World Championship inspired Ronnie O’Sullivan to recover from a poor start to his quarter-final against Shaun Murphy. The world No 8 led by two frames before O’Sullivan fought back to take a 6-2 lead.

Trott’s state is ‘encouraging’

Troubled England batsman Jonathan Trott turned up in the Warwickshire dressing room yesterday to watch his team beat Nottinghamshire by 98 runs. Coach Dougie Brown said Trott’s state after his stress-related illness was “encouraging”. MORE

Rio preparations ‘worst I’ve seen’

Preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics are in a “critical” state, according to a leading member of the International Olympic Committee. “It’s the worst I’ve experienced,” John Coates said. “This is a worse situation than Athens [in 2004].” MORE

Pete Jenson

Atletico Madrid’s back four has conceded only once in the past nine games and have the best defensive record in La Liga and the Champions League. At the core is Diego Godin, a man after the coach’s heart.