M. Schäfer enters the game and replaces J. Draxler.
Draxler, who has arguably been one of Wolfsburg's best players tonight, receives a standing ovation from the home fans as he is replaced by Schafer for the final minute. Can the hosts hold on to their excellent two-goal lead?
90' +2
It's all Wolfsburg at the moment as they patiently pass the ball around inside the Real Madrid half of the pitch. The visitors look bereft of ideas and have completely given up trying to fight for possession, and it's making life incredibly easy for the hosts, who are comfortably running rings around the Spanish giants.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
Great late chance for Kruse! The striker weaves his way into the left-hand side of the Real Madrid penalty area and skips past Danilo far too easily before unleashing a thumping strike, but Navas is just about able to get a hand on the effort to tip it round the far post and out for a corner.
88'
Marcelo charges into the Wolfsburg half of the pitch before chipping a lofted pass over the head of Trasch and into the path of Jese. The forward flies down the left wing on a good run before trying to break into the penalty area, but his final touch is far too heavy and sends the ball bouncing out of play for a goal-kick.
87'
Trasch charges down the right flank before firing a low cross off Marcelo and out for a throw-in. Unsurprisingly, Wolfsburg take their time with it before patiently passing the ball around and working it over to Rodriguez on the opposite flank, and the Swiss full-back then twists and turns as he looks to keep possession away from Real Madrid for as long as possible.
85'
M. Kruse enters the game and replaces A. Schürrle.
J. Rodríguez enters the game and replaces T. Kroos.
Wolfsburg have made a late change up front, with Kruse coming on to replace Schurrle for the final five minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have made their final substitution of the evening, with Kroos making way for Rodriguez in an attacking alteration.
84'
The visitors continue to try and find joy down the right wing, but Draxler and Rodriguez, both of whom have performed brilliantly this evening, are there to stop them in their tracks before forcing Danilo into spinning and playing the ball all the way back into his own half of the pitch. It just isn't working for the Spanish side, who have looked far too laborious this evening.
82'
Real Madrid desperately move the ball around as they continue to put pressure on the sea of Wolfsburg players camped inside their own half of the pitch, but the attacking move is brought to a premature end by a pitch invader, who leads the security team on a frantic chase round the pitch as he tries to help the hosts run down the clock. He's eventually caught, however, and play resumes once again.
80'
C. Träsch enters the game and replaces Bruno Henrique.
Henrique receives a rousing round of applause from the Wolfsburg fans as he makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Trasch in an understandably defensive move by Dieter Hecking.
Minute
Description
79'
Bale charges down the left wing before curling a deep cross towards Ronaldo, but Rodriguez is there to head the ball out of play for a corner. The set-piece is taken quickly before the ball is worked over to Kroos on the edge of the Wolfsburg penalty area, but the German's strike fails to test Benaglio and clears the top of the crossbar by a few yards.
77'
Chance for Henrique! Wolfsburg are able to push forward on a rare counter-attack, and, as has been the case all evening, they do so wonderfully well. They work the ball around quickly before the Brazilian winger beats Marcelo and penetrates the right-hand side of the Real Madrid box, but his low shot doesn't have enough power behind it and is easily stopped by Navas in the middle of the goal.
75'
Danilo, who is currently camped deep down on the right wing, receives the ball in space before firing a deflected cross off a white shirt and into the path of Bale, but the Welshman's quick strike is overhit and ends up clearing the top of the crossbar by quite some distance.
73'
What a save by Benaglio! Isco picks up the ball in a pocket of space not far outside of the Wolfsburg penalty area and immediately pokes a lovely pass into the path of Ronaldo. He skips past both Dante and Naldo before testing the goalkeeper with a low, close-range shot, but the Swiss shot-stopper does wonderfully well to knock the effort away with his body.
71'
It's all Real Madrid at the moment, but Wolfsburg have plenty of bodies back and are making it incredibly difficult for the visitors. White shirts are camped deep inside their own half of the pitch and the Spanish giants are lacking the speed and determination needed to punish their opponents.
69'
G. Bale gets yellow.
M. Arnold gets yellow.
Bale has also been shown a yellow card for his part in the fracas, as he gave Arnold an almighty shove as the two argued.
It's kicking off on the pitch! Marcelo and Arnold clash whilst battling for the ball, resulting in the Brazilian going down far too easily, which infuriates the German. He shares a fierce exchange of words with the full-back before a huge scuffle kicks off, resulting in him being shown a yellow card by the referee.
68'
What a chance for Schurrle to make it 3-0! The resulting corner fails to result in a chance on goal for Real Madrid, and Wolfsburg do well to comfortably deal with the danger. They then fly forward on a swift counter-attack down the left wing before the former Chelsea man receives the ball on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but he ends up firing his close-range strike just over the top of the crossbar. He really should have buried that!
67'
Real Madrid work the ball around nicely before Jese breaks into the right-hand side of the penalty area on a determined run. He receives possession near to the byline before trying to pick out Ronaldo with a first-time cross, but Dante is there to cut out the danger with a vital block.
65'
Vital interception by Ramos! Play gets underway once again and Schurrle immediately flies forward on a brilliant run through the middle of the pitch. He sprints towards the Real Madrid penalty area and looks set to shoot, but just as he's about to do so he's dispossessed by a brilliant, and perfectly timed, tackle by the visitors' captain.
64'
Isco enters the game and replaces L. Modrić.
Real Madrid have made their second change of the night, with Modric, who has had a largely quiet game, making way for Isco.
62'
Ronaldo decides to unleash a thumping strike from the resulting free-kick, but the Portuguese forward's 30-yard shot is poorly hit and deflects off the leg of Gustavo before rolling out of play for a corner that fails to result in a chance on goal for Real Madrid.
61'
Luiz Gustavo gets yellow.
Ronaldo twists and turns in the middle of the pitch as he tries to make something happen for Real Madrid, but, after doing well to skip past Guilavogui, he's tripped over by Gustavo, who receives a yellow card as a result.
59'
Real Madrid have two opportunities to swing crosses into the Wolfsburg penalty area, but on both occasions they're unable to do so. First, Modric is unable to beat Dante with a thumping pass from just outside of the penalty area, before Jese clumsily and carelessly runs the ball out of play whilst under pressure from Rodriguez.
57'
Chance for Ronaldo! Kroos picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch and quickly sends a smart pass out to Bale on the left wing. The Welshman, who has arguably been Real Madrid's biggest threat thus far, takes a few touches before curling a cross right on to the head of the Portuguese forward, but he's quickly out-muscled by Rodriguez and ends up sending his close-range effort flying comfortably over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
55'
Almost an opportunity for Henrique! Wolfsburg are finally able to hold on to possession for a lengthy period of time before Draxler embarks on a great run down the left flank. He weaves his way towards the corner flag before swinging a dangerous, deep cross towards the far post, where the Brazilian right-winger is unable to get a head on the ball due to the pressure being put on him by Marcelo.
53'
Once again, Ronaldo, who drifts out to the right wing to pick up the ball, tries to penetrate the Wolfsburg penalty area after breaking forward on a determined run, but he holds on to possession for far too long and is eventually dispossessed by Gustavo before he's able to pick out a teammate.
51'
It just isn't working for Ronaldo at the moment. Once again, he gets himself into a good position just outside of the penalty area after embarking on a good run forward, but this time he slips just as he shoots and, as a result, his strike rolls harmlessly past the far post by five or six yards.
50'
D. Benaglio gets yellow.
Benaglio takes slightly too long with a goal-kick and, as a result, is shown a yellow card for time wasting, much to his annoyance and disbelief.
49'
Chance for Ronaldo! Bale skips past Vieirinha far too easily before flying down the left flank on a brilliant run. The Portuguese full-back is unable to catch the Welshman, allowing him to cut inside towards the penalty area before teeing up the former Manchester United forward, but he completely mishits his attempted shot and ends up sending the ball trickling comfortably wide of the goal.
48'
Real Madrid do well to quickly win back possession before Kroos decides to unleash a 25-yard strike after finding himself in a pocket of space just outside of the penalty area, but there's far too much power on the shot and, as a result, it sails comfortably over the top of the crossbar.
47'
Real Madrid quickly win themselves a corner after a low cross from Ronaldo is thumped out of play by Naldo on the edge of the Wolfsburg penalty area. The resulting set-piece is initially dealt with well by the hosts before the ball bounces over to Marcelo on the left-hand side of the box, but the full-back's low strike fails to find a way past Vieirinha, who throws his body in the way of the Brazilian's effort.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +1
Real Madrid desperately try to make their way down the left flank as they attempt to push forward on one last attacking move of the first half, but Vieirinha, who has performed diligently thus far, is there to stop the run of Jese before the referee brings an end to the opening period with a blow of his whistle.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
44'
Chance for Bale! Ronaldo and Jese link up well just outside of the Wolfsburg penalty area before the latter goes down under a challenge from Naldo, resulting in a free-kick for Real Madrid in a very dangerous position. The Welshman steps up and tries to beat Benaglio with a curling strike, but it's overhit and ends up sailing a yard or two over the top of the crossbar, much to the delight of the home fans camped behind the goal.
43'
Vital interception by Kroos! Marcelo is dispossessed in a dangerous position on the left flank, and Henrique immediately flies forward on yet another swift counter-attack. He cuts inside before firing a low cross towards the edge of the six-yard box, where Schurrle is waiting, but Real Madrid's German midfielder is just about able to cut out the danger before it can find the former Chelsea forward.
42'
Real Madrid move the ball around quickly just outside of the Wolfsburg penalty area before Danilo picks it up in space on the right-hand side of the box. He fires a thumping pass across the face of goal, but Benaglio is just about able to push it away with a vital save. Bale picks up possession quickly, however, before sending another cross into the penalty area, but it fails to find the head of Ronaldo.
41'
Jesé enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
Benzema hasn't looked at all comfortable since going down injured half an hour ago, and he has now been forced off after going down once again. Coming on in his place in Jese, who immediately tries to make an impact as Real Madrid push forward on a determined attacking move.
40'
Danilo is caught sleeping on the ball, allowing Draxler to pick his pocket before flying down the left flank on a great run. He charges forward and cuts inside before trying to pick out a teammate, but he holds on to possession for slightly too long and is eventually dispossessed by Modric just outside of the Real Madrid box.
39'
Draxler twists and turns as he weaves his way down the left wing and takes on Danilo. He beats the Brazilian with ease and then skips past Modric before unleashing a curling strike from the left-hand side of the Real Madrid penalty area, but there's slightly too much power on the shot and, as a result, it fails to trouble Navas.
37'
Chance for Kroos! The resulting set-piece is initially dealt with well by Wolfsburg, but they're unable to fully clear the danger. As a result, the German is able to pick up the ball just outside of the penalty area before firing a low shot towards goal, but Benaglio does well to get down quickly to save the midfielder's effort.
36'
Exceptional tackle by Naldo! Bale finds himself in plenty of space on the left wing and immediately charges towards the Wolfsburg penalty area after receiving the ball. He darts into the box and looks set to test Benaglio with a shot from 10 yards out, but just as he's about to do so the Brazilian centre-back dispossesses the Welshman with an excellent sliding interception that results in a corner for Real Madrid.
34'
And now Draxler goes close! Henrique, who has looked incredibly bright down the right flank, weaves his way down the wing before chipping a lovely pass over Marcelo and into the path of the German youngster. He runs into a pocket of space before unleashing a first-time half-volley, but it ends up flying into the side-netting after beating Navas.
33'
Great opportunity for Benzema! Bale, who is now operating on the left wing, flies past Vieirinha with ease before curling a wonderful cross into the heart of the penalty area. It finds the French striker in front of goal, but his towering header results in an effort on goal flying a few yards wide of the far post.
31'
Good play by Bale allows him to set up Marcelo in plenty of space down the left wing. The Brazilian flies forward on a determined run before trying to fire a low cross towards Ronaldo, but the full-back doesn't release the ball until slightly too late and, as a result, it's deflected off the foot of Vieirinha and into the hands of Benaglio.
29'
It just isn't working for Real Madrid, who look stunned and, as a result, bereft of ideas inside the final third of the pitch due to the shock of falling two goals behind so early on. They're bossing possession but are failing to do much with it, and as a result they have caused few problems for the Wolfsburg back line over the past five minutes or so.
27'
Chance for Schurrle to make it 3-0! The German is left in far too much space in the middle of the pitch, allowing him to pick up the ball uncontested before flying towards the edge of the Real Madrid penalty area. He drifts out to the right and then unleashes a thumping low strike from 20 yards out, but Navas does well to stop it from finding the back of the net.
25'
M. Arnold has scored a goal for Wolfsburg! Assist by Bruno Henrique.
Assist Bruno Henrique Pinto
GOAL! It's 2-0 to Wolfsburg! Real Madrid are looking incredibly poor at the back, which is making life incredibly easy for the hosts. Once again, they move the ball around quickly before Henrique is picked out on the right-hand side of the penalty area in acres of space. He immediately whips a lovely low cross towards the edge of the six-yard box, where Arnold is easily able to skip in front of Ramos before poking a first-time shot past Navas and into the back of the net. What a start by the Wolves!
24'
Wolfsburg cause plenty of problems for Real Madrid on the counter-attack once again! This time, Ronaldo is caught sleeping on the ball, allowing Arnold to dispossess him deep inside the hosts' half of the pitch. The German immediately flies forward on a great run down the left wing before sending a dangerous low cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Ramos is there to poke the ball away from Schurrle at the vital moment.
22'
A lofted pass forward from Modric finds Ronaldo inside the penalty area, and this time the run from the Portuguese forward is a well timed one. He brings the ball down well before spinning and finding Bale, who then pokes a pass into the path of Casemiro, but the Brazilian's thumping shot from 20 yards out is completely overhit and sails comfortably wide of the goal.
20'
Once again, Real Madrid try to take the Wolfsburg back line by surprise with a lofted pass forward, this time from Pepe on the halfway line, but Bale's run is slightly mistimed and, as a result, the linesman's flag is immediately raised as soon as he tries, and fails, to beat Benaglio with a looping volleyed shot.
19'
Vieirinha gets yellow.
Yellow card Adelino André Vieira Freitas
18'
Penalty goal scored by R. Rodríguez for Wolfsburg!
GOAL! Rodriguez steps up and calmly fires a great strike into the top left-hand corner of the net to give Wolfsburg the lead completely against the run of play. Real Madrid look stunned, and it's no wonder why!
17'
PENALTY! Draxler sprints down the left wing and takes on Danilo before firing a low cross into the middle of the penalty area. It looks set to find Schurrle in front of goal, but just as the German is about to make contact with the ball he's tripped over from behind by Casemiro, resulting in the referee immediately pointing to the spot. What a chance for Wolfsburg to take the lead!
16'
Once again, Wolfsburg do well to hit Real Madrid on the counter after the visitors lose the ball deep inside the hosts' half of the pitch. They work the ball around quickly before Henrique flies towards the penalty area before unleashing a 20-yard shot, but it's sent straight into the hands of Navas in the middle of the goal.
14'
What a chance for Real Madrid! Casemiro charges through the middle of the pitch before setting up Benzema with a poked pass forward, and the Frenchman is easily able to break through Wolfsburg's disjointed back line. He goes one-on-one with Dante and beats the Brazilian with ease before trying to fire a low shot past Benaglio, but the goalkeeper's trailing leg successfuly stops the striker from opening the scoring. The ball then bounces out of the box and into the path of Bale, but his follow-up strike ends up curling comfortably wide of the far post.
12'
After spending the opening 12 minutes sat deep inside their own half of the pitch, Wolfsburg are finally able to break away on a dangerous counter-attack down the left wing after a cross from Danilo fails to find a Real Madrid player. Draxler flies down the flank on a determined run before chipping a lovely cross over to the far post, where it finds Henrique, but the Brazilian is unable to get enough power behind his headed effort and it's comfortably saved by Navas as a result.
10'
Benzema and Marcelo, the latter of whom has firmly camped himself deep inside the Wolfsburg half of the pitch, link up nicely just outside of the penalty area before the latter knocks a lovely through-ball into the path of Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward is slightly offside, however, and as soon as he fires a low cross into the middle of the box the linesman's flag is raised for offside. Benzema initially looks to be hurt after taking a knock in the build-up, but he is eventually able to get back to his feet after a few moments on the floor.
8'
Once again, Real Madrid are able to carve out some space for themselves down the left wing thanks to good play by Ronaldo in the middle of the pitch. Marcelo charges forwards before curling a low cross into the box, but Naldo is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment. The visitors come back once again, however, after Bale beats Vieirinha with ease, but once again the attempted pass fails to find a dark blue shirt.
6'
After regaining possession, Wolfsburg immediately break forward on their first attacking move of the evening. Henrique flies down the right wing on a great run before cutting inside and trying to penetrate the penalty area, but Casemiro is there to dispossess the Brazilian winger before he's able to do so.
5'
Ronaldo twists and turns deep down the left flank as he tries to find a way through a group of white shirts camped just in front of him. He is eventually able to whip a bouncing cross into the heart of the Wolfsburg penalty area that finds Bale in a good position in front of goal, but the number 11's first-time volley is poorly hit and sails comfortably wide of its intended target.
4'
Bale goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! It's been a bright start to the game by Real Madrid, who once again are causing problems for the hosts. A lofted pass forward finds Bale, who nods the ball down into the path of Gustavo. The Brazilian's first touch is poor and sends it rolling into the penalty area before he barges the Welshman to the ground, but, despite the forward's protestations, the referee quickly waves play on.
2'
Ronaldo scores, but it's offside! Real Madrid move the ball around beautifully before Benzema sends a lovely pass into the Wolfsburg penalty area, where it finds the Portuguese forward. He's completely unmarked and is easily able to slot a shot under the body of Benaglio and into the back of the net, but as soon as he does so the linesman's flag is raised for offside, and, as the replays show, rightly so.
1'
And we're off! Real Madrid get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie between Wolfsburg and Real Madrid at the Volkswagen Arena.
For the first time in their history, Wolfsburg are featuring in the knockout round of the Champions League thanks to an impressive group-stage campaign. Strong performances against PSV, Manchester United and CSKA Moscow resulted in the German side finishing top of their group with 12 points, and they then went on to beat Gent over two legs to set up a quarter-final clash against one of the strongest sides in Europe. It is certainly set to be one of their biggest ever tests, but it is one that they will be relishing after enjoying an excellent home record in the continent’s premier competition. Their last (and only) Champions League defeat at the Volkswagen Arena came way back in 2009, and since then they have won all of their home clashes, conceding just two goals in the process. The Wolves have been victorious in their last four consecutive European games but are continuing to struggle domestically, resulting in them sitting in a disappointing eighth place in the Bundesliga table at this late stage of the season. The start of March saw Dieter Hecking’s men win back-to-back league games for the first time in over five months, but since then they have failed to win any of their previous three clashes, two of which ended in disappointing defeats. That was particularly the case last week, when they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Bayer Leverkusen, resulting in the gap between them and a Champions League qualifying spot extending to seven points. As a result, the club from Lower Saxony head into this evening’s game as the undisputed underdogs, but they will still be quietly confident about their chances of continuing their impressive home run against the 10-time European champions.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up evening…
Real Madrid substitutes: Casilla, Nacho, Carvajal, Isco, Rodriguez, Vazquez, Jese.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Dieter Hecking has decided to make three changes to the Wolfsburg side that started last week’s 3-0 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen, with Naldo, Luiz Gustavo and Bruno Henrique coming into the starting line-up to replace Christian Trasch, Robin Knoche and Max Kruse. The Wolves are also able to welcome back Dutch striker Bas Dost, who starts on the substitutes’ bench after being unavailable for almost four months with a broken foot.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has made just one alteration to the side that featured in the win against Barcelona on the weekend, with Daniel Carvajal making way for Danilo at right-back.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
It’s been a great week for Real Madrid, who were able to extend their domestic winning run and keep alive their chances of pipping Barcelona to the title with an impressive win in yet another exhilarating Clasico clash. The victory ended their fierce rivals’ 39-game unbeaten run and made it six wins from as many games for the club from the capital, who have been performing far better under the watchful eye of Zinedine Zidane since the Frenchman took hold of the reigns at the start of the year. Since then, they have lost just one game in all competitions, with 12 of those ending in victories. That was the case in the previous round of the competition, when Los Blancos comfortably beat Roma 2-0 both home and away to send them through to the quarter-finals for the sixth season in a row. They will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to take on Wolfsburg, who, despite the impressive results that they have picked up this campaign, no longer look as strong as they once did and are set to struggle against the Spanish giants unless they are able to muster up their best performance of the season. The two sides have never faced each other before but Real Madrid boast a solid record in this season’s Champions League, as they are one of only two sides still unbeaten in this campaign’s competition. As such, they are not only the favourites to win tonight but are arguably in with a great chance of winning the entire competition for the second time in three years.
HALF-TIME: WOLFSBURG 2-0 REAL MADRID
That first half couldn't have gone any better for Wolfsburg, who are in dreamland at the moment thanks to a wonderful performance against a very sluggish Real Madrid side. The hosts have looked excellent at both ends of the pitch, as they have sat deep in an attempt to frustrate the Spanish giants before hitting them on the counter-attack. It's worked time and time again, leaving the visitors, who have looked incredibly open at the back, scratching their heads and with plenty of work to do.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: WOLFSBURG 2-0 REAL MADRID
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and the Volkswagen Arena erupts with screams of elation! Wolfsburg have managed to pull off one of the biggest shocks in this season's Champions League, and they now have one foot firmly in the semi-finals of the competition thanks to an excellent display against a poor Real Madrid side. The visitors looked far too open at the back and failed to deal with the home side's swift counter-attacks, which time and time again caused them plenty of problems. Zinedine Zidane has plenty of work to do if he is to guide his side to a second-leg comeback, which is going to be nigh on impossible if they play this way when the two sides meet at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.
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