UCL Fans’ Top 5: Ronaldo leads the way, de Bruyne inspires MCFC

Sport360 staff 12:25 14/04/2016
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  • YOU have direct influence on who appears in each Top Five so be sure to rate each weekend.

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    CRISTIANO RONALDO (Real Madrid) – 7.59

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to inspire Real Madrid to a record sixth successive Champions League semi-final as the Spanish giants overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit, beating Wolfsburg 3-0 on Tuesday.

    Ronaldo delivered a master class, striking twice in just over a minute to bring Madrid level in the tie inside 17 minutes.

    Yet, the 10-time winners were forced to wait until 13 minutes from time to find the winner when Ronaldo’s dipping free-kick escaped the clutches of Diego Benaglio to find the bottom corner.

    Madrid hadn’t overturned a first-leg deficit in the Champions League in eight attempts stretching back 14 years to when coach Zinedine Zidane played for Los Blancos in a quarter-final win over Bayern Munich.

    KEVIN DE BRUYNE (Manchester City) – 7.23

    Kevin De Bruyne’s fine 76th-minute goal secured Manchester City’s first foray into the semi-finals  as the Sky Blues defeated PSG 1-0.

    A week on from their 2-2 draw in the French capital, City saw Sergio Aguero squander a first-half penalty, but De Bruyne’s late strike settled the Etihad Stadium nerves and completed a 3-2 aggregate success.

    “Kevin De Bruyne is an important player for us. We deserved a goal before he scored. We dominated the game from the beginning until the end,” said a jubilant Manuel Pellegrini after the game.

    The ebullient De Bruyne stole the headlines, brilliantly shaping a right-foot shot into the bottom-right corner from outside the box to crush Les Parisiens spirit.

    ANTOINE GRIEZMANN (Atletico Madrid) – 7.11

    Atletico Madrid dumped holders Barcelona out of the quarter-final stage of the competition for the second time in three seasons as Antoine Griezmann’s double sealed a 2-0 win.

    Man-of-the-match Griezmann put the hosts ahead on away goals with a fine first-half header before converting from the penalty spot two minutes from time after Andres Iniesta had handled inside the area.

    The French international has now scored 29 goals in 45 games this season.

    ARTURO VIDAL (Bayern Munich) – 6.92

    Bayern deservedly booked their place in the semi-finals after a 2-1 victory at Benfica.

    One of the stand-out players on the night was Arturo Vidal, who once again proved to be a menacing presence on and off the ball.

    His goal on 37 minutes ensured that Benfica would have to score twice in order to progress.

    The finish was a touch of class too, smashing home the ball from outside the box after Ederson palmed out Philipp Lahm’s attempted cross.

    Bayern will be joined by Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City in Friday’s semi-final draw.

    THOMAS MULLER (Bayern Munich) – 6.83

    A consistent performer and slick finisher, Muller effectively sealed Bayern’s place in the semi-finals with his eighth goal in Europe this term.

    With Robert Lewandowski left on the bench, Muller took over his role, slipping in like a natural centre-forward and offering power and pace through the middle.
    Muller pounced in the 53rd minute after Javi Martinez headed Xabi Alonso’s corner across the face of goal.

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