Real Madrid’s troubled season took another sharp turn for the worse as Wolfsburg celebrated a famous victory with a 2-0 first leg triumph to put one foot in the semi-final.
After winning at Barcelona on Saturday, hopes were high that Zinedine Zidane’s men would finally find some consistency as they travelled to the mid-table German side.
But the exact opposite happened, with Madrid at times looking ragged and completely losing the plot during a 10-minute period in the opening period which yielded both Wolfsburg goals as Ricardo Rodriguez netted a penalty and Maximilian Arnold stroked home.
Perhaps even more worryingly, there was no sign of a second-half comeback as Madrid played more with hope than expectation, and they now face a massive task to keep a clean sheet and score at least twice at home next Tuesday.
Their first half collapse was even more shocking because they had started well, with Cristiano Ronaldo having a goal disallowed for offside in the first minute as Los Blancos took early control.
The first sign of Wolfsburg’s attacking potential came after 11 minutes when Julian Draxler crossed for Bruno Henrique, who sent his free header too close to Keylor Navas.
The visitors continued to look dangerous going forward and nearly scored when Casemiro released Karim Benzema but the striker saw his shot blocked by Diego Benaglio’s boot, before Gareth Bale blasted the rebound wide.
21 shots from Madrid tonight - just three on target, and no real difficult saves for Benaglio. Wolfsburg 5 shots on target in first 30 mins.
— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) April 6, 2016
But by now, Wolfsburg were well into the game and their opener soon arrived when Casemiro foolishly fouled Andre Schurrle for a clear penalty, which Rodriguez confidently dispatched for the first Champions League goal conceded by Navas.
Madrid proceeded to fall apart, and Wolfsburg took full advantage to double their lead with an easily constructed goal as Draxler found Henrique and his low cross was slotted home by the unmarked Arnold.
More goals looked likely, with the hosts nearly grabbing a third as the struggling Casemiro was robbed and Schurrle advanced to demand a low save from Navas.
At the other end, Benzema missed a sitter by heading wide from Bale’s cross, before having to depart with a knee injury sustained in an earlier rough challenge from home defender Naldo.
Madrid continued to create chances, with Toni Kroos having a low effort saved and Bale skying a free-kick well over the bar.
The second half was more disjointed with both defences more comfortable, as Wolfsburg showed less attacking intent and Madrid struggled to find rhythm.
Bale, performing down the left following Benzema’s withdrawal, was easily Madrid’s most dangerous player and he created two opportunities for Ronaldo, who dragged the first wide and then headed too high as the hour mark approached.
The visitors were always defensively vulnerable, and Wolfsburg’s pace on the break nearly gained another reward when Henrique released Schurrle and the former Chelsea forward’s rising drive fizzed just over the top.
Madrid’s threat was growing sporadic but Ronaldo’s poor night continued as he ran onto a ball from substitute Isco to shoot, only for Benaglio to make another save.
The expected late onslaught from Madrid didn’t materialise, with Wolfsburg creating the final opportunity as substitute Max Kruse forced Navas into a flying save with an angled drive.
