Foxes bow out
IN VAIN: VARDY’S 61ST MINUTE EQUALISER NOT ENOUGH
Ronaldo leads extra-time massacre, reaches Champions League century in hectic Bernabeu clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo, pictured, scored a hattrick to send Real Madrid through to the Champions League semifinals last night with a 4-2 extra-time win against 10-man Bayern Munich to seal a 6-3 aggregate victory in controversial circumstances.
A bizarre Sergio Ramos own goal forced the extra period after Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Bayern from the penalty spot and Ronaldo equalised.
Marcelo twice cleared off the line for Madrid and Jerome Boateng did the same for Bayern in a thrilling game, which was tilted in Madrid’s favour by Arturo Vidal’s dismissal for two yellow cards, the second of which was harsh.
Ronaldo put Madrid level at 2-2 on the night in the first period of extra time when he scored his 100th Champions League goal, from a clearly offside position, before he wrapped up his treble and Marco Asensio added a fourth.
Meanwhile, Leicester City’s fairytale Champions League journey came to an end at the King Power Stadium when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid, who reached the semifinals for the third time in four seasons with a 2-1 aggregate win.
A first-half goal by Saul Niguez proved enough to ease the Spanish side through to the last four despite Leicester’s spirited revival in the second half when Jamie Vardy equalised on the night.
Diego Simeone’s side, who won the first leg in Madrid 1-0, had the better of the opening exchanges, but after Leicester finally found their feet, Shinji Okazaki firing over from close range, Saul extended Atletico’s overall lead in the 26th minute, heading home powerfully from Filipe Luis’s superb cross.
The Premier League champions, in their first Champions League campaign, responded strongly, dominating the second half, and England striker Vardy equalised on 61 minutes after Ben Chilwell’s shot was blocked, but it was not quite enough. – Reuters