Cristiano Ronaldo struck a brilliant hat-trick as Real Madrid crushed rivals Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday morning.

The Portuguese forward put his team on the verge of their third final in four years and took his tally to 103 goals in the competition as he helped Madrid vanquish their city rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo headed home in the 10th minute after Casemiro's bouncing cross caught out Atletico's defence, as Madrid dominated the first half.

Karim Benzema set him up to smash home his second on the half-volley in the 73rd minute and he finished from close range with four minutes remaining as Atletico offered little resistance.

Reuters