Thursday cover: Real Madrid leave it late as Javier Hernandez saves the day

The National's Sport cover for the Thursday, April 23 issue, featuring Javier Hernandez as his 88th minute winner sent Real Madrid to the Champions League semi-finals.

Madrid rivals Real and Atletico were dead level for 178 minutes until Hernandez finally secured the European Cup holders' passage, with a goal that, as Andy Mitten notes, helped his side "finally overcome Diego Simeone's depleted charges with a dramatic finish".

Writes Andy:

“The drama started a week ago in a goalless first leg and reignited,” on Wednesday.

“Atletico looked like they’d hold out for extra-time before Cristiano Ronaldo selflessly passed to Hernandez to side-foot in a winner for his best moment so far in a Madrid shirt.

“Atletico were distraught, Madrid are a step closer to becoming the first team since Milan in 1990 to retain the European Cup.”

Meanwhile, Juventus also advanced past AS Monaco and, as Richard Jolly writes, "have finally been readmitted to the upper class of European football".

“For the first time in 12 years, they are Champions League semi-finalists.

They navigated a path into the last four with a scoreline that fits stereotypes of Italian football, a 0-0 draw following a 1-0 first-leg win over AS Monaco. Solidity brought its reward, however, and with Juventus on the brink of sealing a fourth successive Serie A title, this is shaping up to be one of the great seasons in their illustrious history.”

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