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Real Madrid Edge Closer To UEFA Champions League Final

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Karim Benzema

As soon as the draws were made it was clear to the whole world that at least one Spanish team would be in the finals of the European champions league. As both Madrid teams Real and Atletico were drawn against each other.

It was a night to forget for though for Diego Simeone’s men in the UEFA champions league semi final as they lost 3-0 to Real Madrid in yet another Madrid derby.

For the fourth year in a roll the two Madrid teams clash in the money spinning UEFA champions league, this time around in the semi-final stage. The eagerly anticipated match promised goals and it dully obliged.

Two of the previous meetings went into extra time, which meant the encounter would be an herculean task for both teams. Real were tagged favorites to go through and as it stands they have one leg in the finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued from where he stopped against Bayern Munich, scoring a hat-trick against a toothless Atletico on the night. Atletico got off to a very slow start and Real took advantage as early as the 10th minute as  Casemiro delivered an inch perfect cross for Ronaldo to score with an un-stoppable header which Atletico keeper Jan Oblak could do nothing about. Real bossed the remainder of the first 45 minutes with Atletico not having a single shot on target. Atletico had their keeper and the cross bar to thank for keeping the score line at 1-0 at the interval.

The main culprit on the night was Benzema who missed a flurry of chances, Madrid continued to boss every department of the game with Isco, Modric, and Marcelo running the show.

The second half picked up from where it left off as Atletico Madrid offered little or nothing going forward allowing Real Madrid a filled day at the office. Diego Simeone tried to infuse spark into his attack by making a double substitution introducing Fernando Torres and Nicolas Gaitan, the resulting substitution made no difference as it was real who doubled the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo for his 2nd goal on the night from a fierce shot from just inside the box, Atletico keeper Oblak was left helpless.

Real had the bulk of the possesion with 60% of the possesion, with a total of 16 shots to Atletico’s 4 shots.

The 2nd goal finally woke Atletico up but it was too little too late as Real further extended the lead and your guess is as good as mine, as Ronaldo popped up again from a cut back from Lucas Vasquez for a simple tap-in straight down the middle.

Ronaldo’s 3 goals on the night took him to 10 goals for the 2016/17 season and 103 goals in UEFA champions history making him the leading scorer in the competition and 9 goals ahead of his nearest rival and nemesis Lionel Messi who remains on 94 goals.

The 3-0 scoreline means real madrid firmly have a foot in the final and are 90 minutes away from the UEFA champions league final at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff, Wales on the 3rd of June 2017.

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