Ronaldo can score three goals against Atletico Madrid as he did against my team, says former Wolfsburg boss
What's the story?
Former Wolfsburg boss, Dieter Hecking, who was in charge of the German outfit, when Real Madrid made an inspirational comeback against his team as Cristiano Ronaldo struck a sensational hat-trick in the return leg, feels that the Portuguese can do the same and might score three goals against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Juventus will host the Spanish giants with a view of overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit and progress into the next round. Late goals from Uruguayan defenders, Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin, saw Atletico Madrid beat Juventus in the Wanda Metropolitano.
In case you didn't know..
Something similar happened during the Portuguese's tenure with the Spanish giants, Real Madrid. In the 2016/17 season, Los Blancos lost 2-0 to Wolfsburg in the first leg, away from home. It was in the return leg at the Bernabeu, that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored a hat-trick to overturn the tie as Zinedine Zidane's men walked past Hecking's men into the Semi-Finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored two goals within the first twenty minutes of the game, overturned the deficit on his own. Later in the game, the 34-year-old scored a stunning freekick as the Spanish giants progressed into the next round with a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Atletico Madrid, who've already fallen victims to the Portuguese's rage on several occasions in the Champions League, would have a tough task ahead of them to progress through to the next round. On the other hand, the Juventus star will look to repeat the history, in a different kit, against different opponents.
The heart of the matter
Hecking, recently talking on Gazzetta Dello Sport said, that he feels that it can happen again:
The former Wolfsburg boss said:
"Ronaldo is capable of everything, he can also score 3 goals again as he did against my Wolfsburg. Of course he can
"Atletico has the best defensive phase in Europe and an excellent attack: without Ronaldo, who can inventing goals in any way, it would be impossible, but Cristiano is ... If I said that Ronaldo is not the strongest player I have ever met, I would lie.
"I remember that night I told the team that we should not be afraid neither of him nor of the Bernabeu, but at 17 'we were already 2-0 with a double by CR7, it was monstrous."
What's next?
Ronaldo and co. will host Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Stadium. The Portuguese, who was rested against Udinese in the previous match, will be fresh to start.
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