Real Madrid have put one foot in the final of the
UEFA Champions League after thrashing city rivals Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the teams’ semifinal.The match at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday was dominated by one man:
Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese attacker gave a master-class in the art of finishing, registering a second successive hat-trick in the competition. Ronaldo opened the scoring as early as the 10
th minute, out-muscling Stefan Savic to head home Casemiro’s cross from close range. The goal set the tone for the whole match, with Real far sharper and more determined than their usually feisty rivals.The second goal only arrived in the 73
rd minute, but it was worth waiting for: Karim Benzema showed great strength to tee up Ronaldo, who fired a howitzer of a volley beyond the reach of goalkeeper Jan Oblak. By this stage, it was a case of damage control for Atletico, but a killer third goal arrived in the 86
th minute when the running power of substitute Lucas Vazquez teed up a simple chance for Ronaldo, who stroked home a low shot to complete his hat-trick.It will take a miracle for Atletico to recover in the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next week Wednesday - at the very least they could try and put up more of a fight after an unusually meek surrender.
For Real and coach Zinedine Zidane, a chance to defend their Champions League crown is within their grasp. Tonight we’ll find out whether they are likely to face Monaco or Juventus in the final.