Despite losing 2-0 in the first leg in Wolfsburg, favourites Real Madrid managed to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League thanks to a 3-0 home win in the return fixture. Germany international Toni Kroos played a large part in the victory, providing the assist for one of Ronaldo's three goals from a corner, and completing 94 percent of his passes in total. In an interview with DFB.de, the 26-year-old spoke about magic, Ronaldo and Real's chances of getting silverware.
Question: Mr. Kroos, was that one of those magical nights that Ronaldo had promised in the build-up?
Toni Kroos: What do you mean by magic? I am always a little wary when it comes to superlatives. It was clear that we would need a good night and a good performance if we wanted to progress though. Luckily that is what we brought on the day.
Question: Was the team’s plan executed perfectly with the two early goals?
Kroos: Our plan wasn’t only to get two early goals but it was obviously our plan to attack from the first minute; to put Wolfsburg under pressure, to excite the fans and to create a great atmosphere. I think we did all of those things well. We played intelligent football in the second half, as we knew that if Wolfsburg scored we would need to net four to go through and that wouldn’t be easy. Because of this we made sure we defended well. We didn’t just go blindly forward. It was a solid performance from us.
Question: Do you think that Wolfsburg were influenced by the atmosphere?
Kroos: I don’t believe so. They played well after the first 25 minutes and managed to create a couple of half-chances in the first half. However, they didn’t really create much after that.
Question: Did you get the impression that the game could have changed suddenly if Wolfsburg had scored?
Kroos: It is always possible to concede goals but I didn’t get the impression that the match would change if they had scored.
Question: What is Real’s goal in the Champions League now?
Kroos: Our overall aim is to win the trophy. It has been since the beginning. From our first match in the competition, we have wanted to win it. You could see in the quarterfinals against Wolfsburg that it is never as easy as people often think it will be. We will have to see what happens in the draw and then move on to the next challenge.
Question: Did you speak to your Germany teammates André Schürrle and Julian Draxler?
Kroos: I did shortly after the match but unfortunately we didn’t have much time.
Question: What did you think of Cristiano Ronaldo’s display and three goals?
Kroos: He played really well (laughs). He was really great and obviously did what matters in the end - scoring goals. The whole team were good too though.
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Despite losing 2-0 in the first leg in Wolfsburg, favourites Real Madrid managed to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League thanks to a 3-0 home win in the return fixture. Germany international Toni Kroos played a large part in the victory, providing the assist for one of Ronaldo's three goals from a corner, and completing 94 percent of his passes in total. In an interview with DFB.de, the 26-year-old spoke about magic, Ronaldo and Real's chances of getting silverware.
Question: Mr. Kroos, was that one of those magical nights that Ronaldo had promised in the build-up?
Toni Kroos: What do you mean by magic? I am always a little wary when it comes to superlatives. It was clear that we would need a good night and a good performance if we wanted to progress though. Luckily that is what we brought on the day.
Question: Was the team’s plan executed perfectly with the two early goals?
Kroos: Our plan wasn’t only to get two early goals but it was obviously our plan to attack from the first minute; to put Wolfsburg under pressure, to excite the fans and to create a great atmosphere. I think we did all of those things well. We played intelligent football in the second half, as we knew that if Wolfsburg scored we would need to net four to go through and that wouldn’t be easy. Because of this we made sure we defended well. We didn’t just go blindly forward. It was a solid performance from us.
Question: Do you think that Wolfsburg were influenced by the atmosphere?
Kroos: I don’t believe so. They played well after the first 25 minutes and managed to create a couple of half-chances in the first half. However, they didn’t really create much after that.
Question: Did you get the impression that the game could have changed suddenly if Wolfsburg had scored?
Kroos: It is always possible to concede goals but I didn’t get the impression that the match would change if they had scored.
Question: What is Real’s goal in the Champions League now?
Kroos: Our overall aim is to win the trophy. It has been since the beginning. From our first match in the competition, we have wanted to win it. You could see in the quarterfinals against Wolfsburg that it is never as easy as people often think it will be. We will have to see what happens in the draw and then move on to the next challenge.
Question: Did you speak to your Germany teammates André Schürrle and Julian Draxler?
Kroos: I did shortly after the match but unfortunately we didn’t have much time.
Question: What did you think of Cristiano Ronaldo’s display and three goals?
Kroos: He played really well (laughs). He was really great and obviously did what matters in the end - scoring goals. The whole team were good too though.
