Cristiano Ronaldo scores superb hat-trick to complete Real Madrid comeback against Wolfsburg

Real Madrid forced themselves into the semi-final of the Champions League, thanks, obviously, inevitably, magnificently, to Cristiano Ronaldo, who helped himself to a hat-trick, settling the tie more or less on his own. They are joined in the last four by Manchester City.

Madrid started the game quickly, pressurising Wolfsburg in possession and boxing them in inside their own half. But they created little until Ronaldo suddenly scored twice in less than 90 seconds; first he slotted home when Dani Carvajal's deflected cross found him at the far post, and then he glanced home a near-post header following Toni Kroos's corner.

That aside, Madrid created little, save Sergio Ramos' header from a corner that his the post, rolled along the line and looked behind it; the officials thought differently.

But then, with 77 minutes gone, Madrid won a free-kick just outside the box, almost dead centre. That man stepped up, flipped it over the wall - or at least tried to - Guilavogui and Naldo parted, the ball eased its way past Benaglio, and that was more or less that. Madrid had their "remontada" - yet another European comeback - and will fancy themselves to win the competition from here.

Where does Ronaldo stand in the all-time footballing pantheon? That he settled a difficult tie with a hat-trick is so routine as to be ridiculous - and tonight, he did it almost alone. In the modern era, he is now surely ahead of the other Ronaldo, Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane - in the opinion of this correspondent, he has been for sometime - and it is arguable that no-one in the history of football has ever enjoyed such a sustained run of form.

Ronaldo: A tricky call but all three goals in a 3-0 win that was enough to send his team through just about clinched it!

Real Madrid: Navas 6, Carvajal 7, Pepe 6, Ramos7 , Marcelo 6, Kroos 7, Casemiro 7, Modric 6, Ronaldo 10, Bale 6, Benzema 6. Subs: Varane6, Jese 6.

Wolfsburg: Benaglio 6, Naldo 4, Rodriguez 5, Dante 5, Bruno Henrique 7, Arnold 6, Draxler 6, Luiz Gustavo 7, Vieirinha 3, Guilavogui 7, Schurrle 6. Subs: Kruse 6, Dost 5, Caligiuri 5

16' GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Wolfsburg. Carvajal goes down the right, arcs over a low cross, and a clip off Arnold sends it directly into Ronaldo's path at the back post; he taps home with customary economy and understatement.

17' AND AGAIN! Real Madrid 2-0 Wolfsburg WE ARE PRIVILEGED TO BE LIVING IN HIS TIME! Madrid win a left-wing corner, Kroos hits it flat towards the near post, and Ronaldo pulls away to glance a header across Benaglio, with no-one guarding that side of the goal. Somehow, this tie is simultaneously all-square and all-over.

65' CHANCE! Still Bale isn't permitted to go left, but Benzema is there, easily beating Vieirinha and winning a corner off Naldo. Kroos' kick is stood up - it doesn't look especially dangerous - but Ramos is up, heading hard against the post. The ball rolls across the line and looks for all the world as though it's in before Benaglio claws it away. The linesman is there, squinting and all that, and he thinks it's no goal, but it really does not look that way.

77' GOAL, HAT-TRICK! Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg WHAT A HUMAN BEING! IF THAT'S WHAT HE IS! Ronaldo caresses an effort at the wall, Naldo and Guilavogui split, and off it coasts past Benaglio. That is very naughty defending.

Ronaldo has 33 goals in 36 Champions League knockout games for Real Madrid.

16 - The number of goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in Europe this season, one off his competition record set in 2013-14.