And here’s Jacob Steinberg on Ronaldo’s enduring excellence:
Sid Lowe's match report
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid
That Cristiano Ronaldo, huh? That’s his 42nd hat-trick in a Real Madrid shirt. Three goals in a European Cup semi-final for a player who has supposedly seen better days. Some decline! And his team-mates weren’t half bad either: Real were as impressive tonight as Atletico were uncharacteristically meek. Unless something very dramatic occurs at the Vicente Calderón next Wednesday, the reigning champions will be off to the Cardiff final.
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90 min: Asensio romps down the left wing. He looks to find Ronaldo, free, in acres in the centre. His low cross clanks off Godin’s ankle, and nearly spins into the bottom left corner. That would have been a farcical end to a thrashing. As things stand, it’s just a corner that comes to nothing.
88 min: Ronaldo threatens to bust clear down the left but can’t quite control. Play breaks to the right wing, where Modric heads a loose ball forward into the area, races after it himself, and lashes a shot inches wide of the right-hand post. Real aren’t quite out of sight, but that was dot-on-horizon territory.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Ronaldo 86)
A hat-trick for Ronaldo! And this was so simple! He slips a ball down the inside-right channel for Lucas Vazquez, who nearly runs the ball out of play but hooks it back from the byline to the penalty spot, where Ronaldo, following in, takes a touch and batters a shot into the middle of the net! What a performance by the 32-year-old star! His career’s slowly winding down, apparently.
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85 min: Atletico are a bit of a rabble right now. They need an away goal, a momentum shifter in this tie, but they’ve been threatening to ship a third, and now they can’t get hold of the ball. Olé! scream the Real faithful, John Coltrane fans to a man.
83 min: Savic is booked for a late challenge on Ronaldo, who managed to keep going down the left and find Kroos on the edge of the box. Kroos thinks about shooting but instead slips a pass down the right channel for Lucas Vazquez, whose touch again isn’t up to much. Goal kick.
81 min: Koke rakes a wonderful pass down the left to send Gaitan into space. Gaitan loops a cross into the box, but it’s over the head of Torres. Real zip up the other end through the progressive Asensio, who Cruyff Turns his way past Lucas Hernandez down the left and finds Lucas Vazquez on the penalty spot. Vazquez can only waft at the ball and send it apologetically squirting off to the right of goal. But what approach play by Asensio!
79 min: Koke blocks off Modric in the middle of the park. He’s already seen yellow, so needs to watch himself. The patrons of the Bernabeu, in unison, remind the referee of this, but no action is taken.
77 min: Gaitan loops a free kick from the right wing into the Real box. Navas is clattered to the ground and the pressure is released. Benzema is replaced by Lucas Vazquez.
75 min: Asensio tears down the left with Atletico very light at the back. His cross looking for Benzema isn’t up to much. The visitors really need an away goal now, you’d have thought. They probe awhile, but it’s all sterile centre-circle stuff.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Atletico Madrid (Ronaldo 73)
This exploded out of nothing! Marcelo crosses low from the left. Benzema, just outside the D, holds off Godin and shuttles the ball further right for Ronaldo, who shakes off Filipe Luis and thunders an unstoppable shot into the top left! What a strike!
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72 min: A free kick for Atletico out on the left. Koke lumps long. Savic knees Ronaldo in the back. There goes that pressure! Real wheech up the other end, Asensio making off energetically down the left and very nearly finding Benzema in the centre with a dangerously whipped cross. Not quite.
70 min: This is suddenly a bit scrappy. Gaitan stands on Nacho’s boot. Nacho screams and rolls around quite a lot. Then Filipe Luis clanks into Modric’s shin. Quite a lot of whistling in the Bernabeu. Referee Martin Atkinson performs the universal mime for Calm Down For The Love Of God You’re Grown Men.
68 min: Ah yes, here we go, Isco is hooked in favour of the 20-year-old Marco Asensio. Meanwhile a strange sub by Atletico: the excellent Carrasco is replaced by Correa. Carrasco is just back from injury, so that one might have been pre-planned.
66 min: Marcelo scampers into space down the left, but his low cross evades Ronaldo in the centre. Isco tries to retrieve the ball on the edge of the box, and is again a bit scrappy in the challenge. Nothing serious, but he needs to reign it in a wee bit, else he finds trouble.
64 min: Koke takes a slightly heavy touch in the midfield, turning a simple dribble into a 50-50 with Isco. The Real man slides in rather clumsily, catching Koke, who sends the ball long, with a late tackle. Isco has already been booked, and it’s a point Diego Simeone makes on the touchline with some passion. The referee isn’t interested in booking Isco. Simeone is not particularly impressed.
62 min: Isco executes a couple of cute stepovers and dragbacks down the right, making some space for himself. He tries to float one into the area for Benzema, but the ball drifts into the arms of Oblak.
60 min: Carrasco knocks the ball down the left wing and goes haring after it. Nacho beats him in the foot race and hooks the ball out of play. From the resulting throw, the ball’s worked to Griezmann who whips a cross through the area. Torres is nowhere near it. Atletico soon come again, and Koke has a whack from distance. That’s not close, but at least the visitors are beginning to make in-roads again after a quiet period up front.
58 min: Carrasco has a belt from 25 yards. It’s no good. Diego Simeone has seen his team toil in attack long enough. He makes a double change: Torres and Gaitan come on; Gameiro and Saul Niguez go off.
56 min: Gameiro is found in a lot of space down the left. But he dithers and the chance of causing bother is gone.
54 min: Saul is booked for a light tug on Nacho, as the Real sub makes off down the right. The free kick is a chance for Real to load the box, and ends up being a load of agricultural nonsense. Atletico clear their lines easily enough.
52 min: Ronaldo makes good down the Real right and very nearly finds Benzema on the edge of the Atletico six-yard box with a low fizzer. The ball’s bundled out for a corner, which comes to nothing. We’re already back up to the pace of the first half; it’ll be a surprise if this game ends without further scoreboard movement.
50 min: Ramos comes through the back of Griezmann and is fairly fortunate to escape a booking. It’s a free kick, though. From the set piece, Atletico pass it around awhile, before Carrasco goes down ludicrously easily on the edge of the D. The referee isn’t about to award a free kick for that. Carrasco was daft to go to ground, as though he didn’t have space to shoot, he had Griezmann buzzing around as an option.
48 min: Lovely footwork from Marcelo down the left, who evades a challenge and flicks a pass down the wing for Ronaldo in one graceful swish. Ronaldo is clattered by Savic in the uncompromising style. It takes all sorts. No booking, but the yellow card soon comes out as Isco stands on the foot of Lucas. Late and clumsy, the Real man doesn’t bother arguing.
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46 min: A slightly sleepy start to the half by Real. Casemiro gifts the ball to Griezmann 30 yards out, but the Atletico striker can’t find Gameiro down the inside-left channel with his attempt to spring the home defence.
And we’re off again! Real get the ball rolling for the second half. Carvajal was unable to continue, so he’s been replaced by Nacho.
Half-time reading: It’s Monaco-Juventus this time tomorrow, of course. Here’s award-winning author and tactical godhead Jonathan Wilson on Juve’s superstar-in-waiting Paulo Dybala.
HALF TIME: Real Madrid 1-0 Atletico Madrid
And that’s your lot for the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 101st Champions League goal is the difference so far.
45 min: Carvajal is down getting treatment. He’s holding the back of his leg and looking frustrated. Real will wait until half time before making any change.
44 min: Marcelo goes on a baroque wander down the left, and earns his team a corner. It’s welcome respite for Real, who have seen Atletico come back at them in the closing stages of this half. The set piece comes to nothing.
42 min: With Casemiro still getting his lip seen to, Lucas swings a cross into the Real box from the right. Navas does very well to claim a high ball under pressure from a couple of Atletico men.
40 min: Real look to have dealt with the corner, but Ronaldo hysterically shanks a wild clearance behind for another set piece. The second corner leads to poor Casemiro getting caught in a pincer movement between Godin and his own man Ramos. That’s a split lip. He’ll be fine to continue after the doctor patches him up.
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39 min: The brilliant Carrasco skitters down the right and reaches the byline before firing a low cross towards Koke at the near post. Koke tries the flick but it’s blocked out for a corner on the right.
37 min: Can a lull be played out at high pace? If so, there’s a bit of a lull. A lot of fast Real passing, to little effect.
35 min: Casemiro fannies around 35 yards from his own goal, allowing Griezmann to scamper off with the ball like a comic character holding a bag of sweeties. Tee hee, now for a feast! He’s got Gameiro to his side and there’s only Varane in the way. A real chance for Atletico to cause some serious problems. But the two scamps get in each other’s way, and the chance for one or the other to be sent clear on goal is gone.
34 min: Atletico have been threatening to get back into the game, so Real stroke it around the middle awhile to reassert their authority.
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32 min: ... instead of going for goal, Griezmann chips delicately over the Real wall and towards Godin, rushing in from the right. Godin meets the dropping ball with a volley, but he’s leaning back and it flies over the bar from six yards. A sweetly worked free kick which so nearly came off.
31 min: Carrasco dribbles down the middle and is upended by Carvajal, 25 yards from goal. A free kick in a very promising position. Carrasco and Griezmann stand over it, and...
29 min: This was nearly a picture-book goal! Ronaldo twists and turns down the left, and from a tight spot manages to dig out a cross towards the far post. Benzema, with his back to goal, ten yards out, nearly dispatches a left-footed belter of an overhead kick into the top-right corner. High and wide, but that was inches away from perfection.
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28 min: The excellent Carrasco goes on a power wander down the left. He cuts inside and the ball’s fed back to the wing for Filipe Luis, in a lot of space. He’s got options in the middle, but blooters a high cross right over the box. Nothing’s quite coming off for Atletico in attack.
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26 min: Koke is booked for tugging back Modric as Real attempt to break upfield. Atletico have been rattled by Real’s all-action start, all right.
24 min: Benzema whips the ball off Savic’s toe, and very nearly breaks clear into the Atletico area down the left. He’s ushered away from danger. But Real come straight back at their rivals. Marcelo bombs down the left and whips a dangerous ball into the centre. Oblak punches clear at full stretch, but only to Modric who returns a shot from the right-hand corner of the D. Modric is looking for the bottom left, and has beaten Oblak, but the ball squeaks wide left of the post.
22 min: A free kick for Atletico out on the left, and a chance for the visitors to load the box. Koke lumps the ball into the mixer; Varane heads it out for a corner on the left. Koke takes, but can’t beat the first man Benzema, who blasts the ball away from danger. This match is rattling along at a glorious pace.
20 min: Carvajal is allowed to run and run and run down the right. He eventually sashays infield before hooking the ball into the centre for Benzema, who swings a leg and sends a strange looper of a shot straight at Oblak. Atletico are looking uncharacteristically shaky at the back.
19 min: They said this was going to be cagey!
17 min: Atletico have been seriously rocking, but here’s a reminder of the threat they carry. Koke slips a simple ball down the middle for Gameiro, who enters the box and should really round Navas and score. But his touch to the left is weak, allowing Navas to snaffle brilliantly. Marvellous goalkeeping, though he really shouldn’t have been given any chance there. A fine opportunity for a precious away goal spurned!
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16 min: Modric curls the corner onto the head of Varane, who batters a header down towards the bottom right. Oblak does very well to fingertip the ball round the post at full stretch. What a save! The second corner comes to nothing.
15 min: Benzema wins a corner down the left. The ball’s half cleared, but Real are quickly coming back at Atletico, Marcelo attempting to curl in a cross from the same wing. The ball hits an Atletico elbow. The referee isn’t having the penalty claims. It’s just a corner out on the left.
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14 min: Carrasco, who had started brightly on the Atletico left, has been switched to the right. Momentarily all at sea, he concedes possession to Isco, who nearly causes a lot of trouble down the flank for the visitors. But Lucas holds him up.
12 min: Real stroke it around the middle of the park. This is a statement. Atletico look a little rattled.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Ronaldo 10)
The ball ends up on the right wing. Ramos crosses deep. Savic wins the header, but it only goes back wide right for Casemiro, who ping-pongs an instant return into the middle. Ronaldo, six yards out in a central position, can’t miss! He powers his header past Oblak, and it’s a dream start for the reigning champions! Ronaldo was standing offside when the first cross came in from Ramos, but not when he met the second from Casemiro: interfering with play or not? Argue amongst yourselves.
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9 min: Real, after a slow start, have suddenly decided to turn up the heat. A free kick on the left leads to nothing, but the ball’s recycled, Casemiro nearly finding Ronaldo with a pitching wedge down the inside-left channel. Atletico are forced to concede a corner, from which...
7 min: And having started well, Atletico nearly go behind, as Carvajal shimmies in from the right, one-twos with Isco, and curls a low shot from a tight angle towards the bottom right. Oblak parries, but the ball breaks to Benzema, six yards out. He should score, you’d think, but it’s all happened so quickly that the ball clanks off him and squirts away off an Atletico defender for a corner. The set piece comes to nothing.
5 min: Filipe Luis dribbles down the inside-left channel, then drifts inside and plays a wall pass off Gameiro. Upon getting the ball back, he thinks about feeding Griezmann to the right of the D, but can’t quite get either pass or shot away. A nice move, though. Atletico have started well.
4 min: Real show in attack for the first time, and it’s that man Ronaldo, who romps down the left channel and launches a shot goalwards from 25 yards. It flies 25 yards over the bar. And wide too. Let’s be generous: a rangefinder.
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3 min: Now Carrasco goes zipping down the left, but his cross isn’t all that. Goal kick. Navas clears upfield poorly, gifting the ball to the busy Carrasco. For a second, Real look light at the back. But Carrasco dithers and the chance to cause the hosts and European champions a problem is gone.
2 min: Ronaldo is clipped by Lucas out on the left. He frowns quite a lot. The ball’s recycled to the right wing, but Carrasco intercepts and very nearly releases Gameiro down the inside-left with a fine curling pass. Navas comes to the edge of his box to claim.
And we’re off! The first European Cup semi-final is on! Atletico get the ball rolling. Gameiro goes chasing after a long hoick down the left, but he can’t get on the end of it. A brisk, front-foot start by the visitors, though.
The teams are out! A huge banner is unfurled to celebrate Real’s final wins in Lisbon and Milan over Atletico. Like the Bernabeu needs stoking up any more. The atmosphere is ... ah, you don’t need me to complete that sentence. Wow. Real Madrid are in their world-famous meringue-white shirts; Atletico have opted for their change strip of black shirts with yellow shorts. We’ll be off in a minute!
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Diego Simeone speaks to BT Sport before the game. “I feel excited, happy, nervous, anxious! All the feelings that someone managing a club at the top level for five-and-a-half years would have when trying to go as far as possible. Looking at the two finals, we lost one in extra time and one on penalties, so we haven’t done too badly over the 90 minutes! The most important thing is to be focused and forget all that has happened in the past because it counts for very little. Atletico has been competing at the highest level in the Champions League for the last four years, which means the rivalry with Real has been much bigger. We’re competing well. It’s exciting for the city. We’re ready for a great game.”
While we wait, a little light pre-match reading. A classic Joy of Six on memorable European Cup semi-finals, courtesy of the great Rob Smyth. Real fans be warned: article includes 3-0 comeback victory for Barcelona and 5-0 defeat for your chaps. But world-class storytelling trumps mere personal preference, right? We’re all grown-ups here.
Real make two changes to the starting XI named for their 2-1 victory over Valencia last weekend. Raphael Varane returns from a hamstring injury while Isco steps up from the bench; Nacho and James Rodriguez are only subs today.
Atlético also make two changes from the weekend, when they tonked Las Palmas 5-0. Diego Godin and Yannick Carrasco return from suspension and the sick bay respectively; Jose Gimenez is injured while Nicolas Gaitan drops to the bench.
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Tonight's teams
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić, Isco, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Subs: Casilla, Nacho, James Rodríguez, Kovačić, Vázquez, Asensio, Morata.
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Lucas Hernández, Savić, Godin, Filipe Luis, Koke, Gabi, Saúl Ñíguez, Carrasco, Griezmann, Gameiro.
Subs: Moyà, Tiago, Torres, Correa, Thomas, Gaitán, Alberto Rodríguez.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (England).
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¡Buenas noches!
This is the fifth time Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have met in the European Cup. Madrid have won all four previous ties. ¡Oh Atleti!
The teams first met in continental competition in the 1958-59 European Cup semi. Madrid won the first leg at the Bernabéu 2-1, goals from Héctor Rial and Ferenc Puskás wiping out Chuzo’s early opener. Enrique Collar secured a 1-0 win for Atlético in the return at the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid. In the days before away goals, that meant a replay six days later at La Romareda in neutral Zaragoza. Alfredo Di Stéfano scored first, Collar equalised, and Puskás scored the winner which took Real into their fourth successive final.
Spool on 55 years, and the teams met for the 2014 final in Lisbon. Atlético, recently crowned as champions of Spain, took the lead through Diego Godín’s 36th-minute header, and that looked to have been enough. But Sergio Ramos made like Bayern Munich’s Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck back in 1974, whipping the trophy out of Atlético’s hands with a last-minute equaliser that led to a complete collapse. Real won 4-1 in extra time, just as Bayern prevailed 4-0 in a replay all those decades ago.
A year later, Real came out on top yet again, in the quarter-finals this time, Javier Hernández heading the only goal of the tie with a couple of minutes to go in the second leg at the Bernabéu. And then there was last year’s final, Antoine Griezmann missing a penalty in the second half, Juanfran suffering a similar fate in the shoot-out, Cristiano Ronaldo securing Real’s 11th European Cup.
Atlético are still looking for their first. They’ll be hoping their luck against Real will finally change this year; their recent domestic run of five wins, four draws and just one loss against Real in their last ten matches will give them succour. Better to concentrate on that than all those European Cup defeats, anyway. In that sense, this tie is delicately poised. It’s another chapter in a long-running city saga. It’s the European Cup semi. It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm UK time, 8.45pm at the Bernabéu in Madrid.
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