[Mhiz Rebecca]

Cristiano Ronaldo proved Atletico Madrid's
Champions League dream destroyer once more
with a hat-trick as Real Madrid took a
commanding 3-0 semi-final, first leg lead on
Tuesday.
Ronaldo extended his lead as the all-time top
scorer in Madrid derby matches by taking his
tally to 21 and put Real firmly on course to
defend their title in the final in Cardiff on June 3.
The Portuguese rewarded a bright Real start by
heading home Casemiro's deflected cross after
just 10 minutes.
Ronaldo then smashed home from just inside the
area and turned home Lucas Vazquez's cross in
the final 20 minutes as Real continued their
domination of Atletico having eliminated them in
the Champions League for the past three seasons.
Real needed a stoppage time equaliser en route to
winning the 2014 final, scored a late winner in the
quarter-finals a year later and edged last season's
final on a penalty shootout.
However, there was far more a gulf between the
sides this time round.
The home fans made sure to put Atletico in their
place before kick-off with chants of "kings of
Europe" and a "how does it feel" banner alongside
a display of their 11 European Cups.
Real piled on the pain in the opening stages for
the 4,000 visiting away fans and could have killed
the tie in the opening half hour.
Atletico were handed a lucky escape on seven
minutes when Jan Oblak parried Dani Carvajal's
effort at the end of a careering run and the
Slovenian recovered to also turn behind Karim
Benzema's follow-up effort.
- No let off -
There was no let off three minutes later, though,
as Atletico failed to clear a corner and Casemiro's
bouncing cross looped up for Ronaldo to power
home a header.
Oblak kept Atletico alive in the moments that
followed with a brilliant save from Raphael
Varane's header and more comfortable stop from
Isco.
However, at the other end, Keylor Navas rescued
Real from conceding a vital away goal when he
got a touch on the ball as Kevin Gameiro tried to
round him when clean through on goal.
The majority of the efforts continued to rain down
on Oblak's goal as Luka Modric drilled a shot
from the edge of the box inches wide.
And Benzema then acrobatically turned a Ronaldo
cross just over the bar.
Atletico enjoyed a better spell just before half-
time, but all they had to show for it was Diego
Godin's wayward volley after being picked out by
Antoine Griezmann's free-kick.
Real suffered an injury blow right on half-time
when Dani Carvajal pulled up with a muscle
problem that looks set to keep him out of the
second leg.
Clear-cut chances were far harder to come by
after half-time as Atletico toiled to create, whilst
Real sat on their lead waiting for the chance to
counter-attack.
However, once again in ties between these two,
Real got the slice of luck to go with their extra
quality.
The ball rebounded up perfectly off the heels of
Filipe Luis for Ronaldo to blast high past Oblak.
And Ronaldo completed his second hat-trick
against Atletico this season four minutes from
time when Lucas Vazquez's cutback picked out the
four-time World Player of the Year to slot home
from close range.