Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring during the Champions League 2nd leg quarterfinal soccer match between Real Madrid and VfL Wolfsburg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday April 12, 2016 (AP)
Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick inspired Real Madrid to a 3-0 comeback victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday that clinched a place in the Champions League semi-finals.
The prolific Portuguese got the 10-times European champions off to the perfect start by tapping in Daniel Carvajal's cross after 16 minutes and then headed a second goal less than a minute later from Toni Kroos' corner.
Ronaldo capped a 3-2 win on aggregate when he curled in a free kick after 77 minutes, his 16th goal in this season's competition taking him within touching distance of his record of 17 in 2013-14.
It is the sixth successive season that Real have reached the last four.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane's only change from the first leg was to replace the much-criticised Danilo at right back with Carvajal.
Opposite number Dieter Hecking kept the same lineup that served him so well at the Wolfsburg Arena.
Carvajal vindicated Zidane's decision when he beat Julian Draxler to the ball in midfield before setting up Ronaldo's opening goal.
Top scorer this season in La Liga and the Champions League, the 32-year-old was in the mood for another big European occasion and he sent the Bernabeu crowd wild with delight by scoring twice more.
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