Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth Champions League hat-trick inspired Real Madrid to a 3-0 comeback victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday that clinched a place in the semi-finals for a sixth successive season.
The prolific Portuguese got the 10-time European champions, 2-0 down from the first leg, off to a perfect start by tapping in Daniel Carvajal's cross after 16 minutes and heading a second goal less than a minute later from Toni Kroos' corner.
Ronaldo capped a 3-2 win on aggregate when he curled in a free kick after 77 minutes, his 16th goal in this season's competition taking him within touching distance of his record of 17 in 2013-14.
He also equalled Barcelona rival Lionel Messi's record of five Champions League trebles as he took his goal tally in all competitions this season to 46.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane only change from the first leg was to replace the much-criticised Danilo at right back with Carvajal.
Opposite number Dieter Hecking kept the same line-up that served him so well at the Wolfsburg Arena.
Real have a reputation for staging great fightbacks in Europe but they had not overturned a first-leg deficit in the Champions League since 2002 when Zidane, as a player, helped them beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Bernabeu after a 2-1 reverse.
The home team's intent was clear when defender Sergio Ramos headed the ball against the crossbar early on and they soon started turning the tie back in their favour.
Carvajal vindicated Zidane's decision when he beat Julian Draxler to the ball in midfield before setting up Ronaldo's opening goal.
Wolfsburg tried to recover and they missed a couple of chances to get on the scoresheet.
The 31-year-old Ronaldo, top scorer this season in La Liga and the Champions League, had different ideas though and he sent the Bernabeu crowd wild with delight by scoring twice more.
Zidane probably overcame the biggest challenge of his fledgling coaching career.
Last week's surprise 0-2 defeat at Wolfsburg left the Frenchman facing the prospect of becoming the first Madrid coach since Manuel Pellegrini in 2010 to fail to reach the last four of the competition.
"I've lived football as a player, I know what it is like. I am now living it as a coach, which is much more difficult," admitted Zidane after.
"I can't worry about what might happen. We have to be calm when this (losing a first leg) happens; you can't go mad because all sorts of things happen in football."
Zidane attracted criticism for starting Danilo rather than Dani Carvajal in the first leg in Germany and for his decision to take off Luka Modric, saying: "I had to do something. We are a team and I always have to make decisions, we all win together but it's true that Carvajal was enormous on Tuesday," said Zidane.
The Frenchman vowed not to get ahead of himself after the win. "I never got a big head as a player and it won't happen as a coach either. After a night like this, I know how difficult this job is," said Zidane, who has repeatedly talked about the expectations on a Madrid manager since succeeding Rafa Benitez in January.
The coach did not shy away from suggestions that Ronaldo had saved his reputation, and possibly his job. "He is the best player in the world and nights like these make him a special player," said Zidane. "He makes the difference."
"It was a bit of a reflection of our season," Wolfsburg sports director Klaus Allofs told reporters. "We seem to be making mistakes at all the wrong times."
Wolfsburg, last season's Bundesliga runners-up and German Cup winners, had enjoyed a solid start to their domestic campaign but gradually ran out of ideas and goals.
Wolfsburg had only one good chance in the game with a Luiz Gustavo shot despite managing to contain Real's attack for about an hour after they took their two-goal lead. (Reuters)
