Real Madrid beat 10-man Bayern Munich 4-2 (6-3 aggregate) after extra time with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging a hat trick to secure his side’s passage into the Champions League semifinals. The visitors threatened to nick the tie after Robert Lewandowski made it 1-0 on the night from the penalty spot, but Zinedine Zidane’s side weathered a second-half storm, capped by Sergio Ramos’ own goal, to force extra time. Marco Asensio added Real’s fourth with a fine solo effort to seal the tie.
Positives
This was a complete team performance, and scoring four times against a side of Bayern’s experience is no small feat. Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric all avoided a caution, which would have ruled them out of the semifinal first leg.
Negatives
Zidane will be concerned about his side’s reaction to going behind. For much of the second half Bayern were the superior team, and Ronaldo’s first goal failed to settle the hosts’ nerves.
Manager rating out of 10
10 — Zidane tasked Isco with dropping back for numerical superiority in midfield when Bayern were in possession. No side in the Champions League this season had slung more crosses into the proverbial mixer, and Casemiro was tasked with guarding the penalty spot when Bayern went wide. Bringing on Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez to combat Bayern’s forays down the flanks was a bold and successful move, while sacrificing Karim Benzema to deploy Ronaldo as a striker also paid dividends.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Keylor Navas, 7 — Navas wasn’t forced into a save of note but was out quickly to deny Bayern twice on the break. The Real No. 1 couldn’t be faulted for either goal.
DF Dani Carvajal, 9 — Carvajal went close with a rasping shot that drew a Hollywood save from Manuel Neuer, and he tested the Bayern keeper again two minutes later. Excellent in defence, the full back covered when Lewandowski was looking to get in behind the central defenders.
DF Nacho, 8 — Impeccable in the air, Nacho took the ball off Lewandowski’s head on the hour mark and repeated the trick on Muller in extra time. Should Pepe leave at the end of the season, Real need look no further for a seasoned replacement.
DF Sergio Ramos, 8 — The captain had the better of his duel with Lewandowski, epitomised with a fine diving block in the first half. Almost opened the scoring on 27 minutes but saw his shot cleared off the line by Jerome Boateng. Put one in his own net to send the game to extra time but provided the assist for Ronaldo’s second.
DF Marcelo, 10 — Both Real’s best defender and most disarming attacker. A vital block on Thiago and a goal-line clearance from Arjen Robben at one end was backed up with tireless work on the overlap, numerous chances created and a wonderful run and assist for Ronaldo’s third.
MF Casemiro, 9 — The Brazilian put in more tackles than any player on the pitch and provided cover for Marcelo when the full-back went marauding. Conceded the penalty on Robben but atoned with a pinpoint assist for Ronaldo’s first goal.
MF Toni Kroos, 8 — Kroos put in a shift at both ends and was unlucky not to score given a couple of decent chances. The German international’s mastery of the midfield situation was summed up in a 94 percent pass accuracy rate.
MF Luka Modric, 7 — The Croatian was charged with backing Carvajal on the right and was less involved than his partner Kroos. When in possession, Modric was neat and tidy as always, his selfless role on the night aiding his side’s cause.
MF Isco, 6 — An early nick of the ball from Xabi Alonso’s boot highlighted Zidane’s plan for the hero of El Molinon, but Isco failed to influence the game from his withdrawn position and was dispossessed more than any of his teammates.
FW Cristiano Ronaldo, 10 — Nothing came off for Ronaldo until he buried a header past Neuer. From there, the club legend was Midas personified. Switching to a central role after Benzema was removed, Ronaldo spent most of his time offside but scored the crucial goal and added a second in extra time for his 100th Champions League strike. His 101st took his tally across the tie to five.
FW Karim Benzema, 6 — Benzema struggled to get into the game after a scrappy performance. A few loose balls were mitigated by some solid defensive work, but it was little surprise when his number came up on the hour mark.
Substitutes
MF Marco Asensio, 8 — On for Benzema after 63 minutes, Asensio posed an immediate threat, drawing a save from Neuer and scoring an exceptional solo goal, which is rapidly becoming his trademark at Madrid.
FW Lucas Vazquez, 6 — On for Isco with 20 minutes to play, Vazquez went close to scoring in the 83rd minute and added his usual zip to the right flank.
MF Mateo Kovacic, NR — On with seven minutes of extra time remaining, Kovacic filled in for the ubiquitous Kroos as Real saw the game out.
Source – ESPN
