UCL: Cristiano Ronaldo scores hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Atletico Madrid in Semi-Finals

Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, became the first player in football history to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the Champions League knockout stages as Real Madrid thrashed Atletico Madrid to close in on a third final in four years.

Real were utterly dominant throughout against their city rivals at the Bernabeu and led after 10 minutes when Ronaldo headed home Casemiro‘s cross.

Ronaldo scored the second after smashing an unstoppable shot from 16 yards past Atletico keeper Jan Oblak, who had made several saves to keep his side in the tie.

And the Portugal captain ensured all the headlines would be his with a second consecutive Champions League hat-trick, having scored five goals in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich. It was his easiest goal of the night, as he controlled Lucas Vazquez‘s cross in plenty of space before firing home.

Atletico only had one shot on target and will need to pull off one of the Champions League’s all-time special performances to stop double-chasing Real from ending their European dreams for the fourth straight season.