Chicharito's late goal lifts Real Madrid past 10-man Atletico

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez was the hero for Real Madrid after his late goal sent the defending European champions to their fifth straight Champions League semifinal with a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.

The Mexican, on loan from Manchester United, was having a nightmare of a game after several efforts produced saves or missed wide of the goal. However, he redeemed himself in the dying moments of the match with a close-range goal to help Real claim a vital victory over their city rivals.

It's a devastating blow to Atletico and 'keeper Jan Oblak, who put on another stellar performance against Real. But Arda Turan's second-half red card eventually led to an onslaught of attacking efforts that overwhelmed the opposing defence and earned Real its first victory against Atleti in eight tries this season.

Here's what you need to know:

• There wasn't much in the way of opportunities for either side in the opening 10 minutes. Both teams did well to limit space and maintain organized formation, making it tough for either side to create any scoring chances. 

• Chicharito got the game's first opportunity on net when a beautiful through ball from James Rodriguez put the Mexican through on goal. His effort, however, was poor as it struck the side of the net. It was a sign of things to come for the Mexican.

• Atletico finally began to pressure the Real backline with a positive attacking spell. Their efforts went unrewarded as they failed to test Iker Casillas.

• It was a predictably feisty affair between the two sides, with Atletico dishing out most of the blows in the opening half-hour. Isco became the third victim of an elbow to the face, following hits to Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao that went unpunished.

• Chicharito had another chance for a goal when Rodriguez's cross into the box found the Mexican in the air. His header deflected off Juanfran and over the goal.

• A horrible giveaway in the Atletico end this time led to a perfectly weighted ball to Cristiano Ronaldo to the left of the penalty spot. Oblak, however, produced a massive close-range save as Ronaldo unleashed a first-time shot that the Atletico keeper swatted away.

Second Half

• Isco flashed a bit of brilliance to start the half with a perfect through ball to Chicharito, who appeared to be offside. The linesman missed the infraction and the Mexican was forced to fire an off-balance shot that went across the goal-mouth and out for a goal-kick.

• Madrid continued to test the Atletico keeper, as Raphael Varane's header from close-range was easily gathered by Oblak. The Real centre back immediately made an impact on the defensive side when he was forced to intercept a cross with a clever header away from Atletico attackers.

• Antoine Griezmann was removed from the match after an ineffective 65 minutes where he did little to threaten Real defenders.

• It was an easy game for the 'keepers through 70 minutes as numerous shots were easily gathered by Casillas and Oblak throughout the match.

• Atletico Madrid's chances of advancing took a massive hit when Arda Turan's challenge on Sergio Ramos produced a red card after the Turkish international picked up his second yellow. Replays appeared to show there was little contact between the players, but Turan's lunging effort likely didn't help his cause.

• Up until the 85th minute, it seemed to be a night to forget for Chicharito. Real looked destined to break the deadlock until Oblak got a touch on Chicharito's close-range shot to knock the ball out for a corner. Rodriguez set him up, but Oblak's ability to quickly limit space led to the quick effort from the Real Madrid forward.

• Persistence finally paid off for Chicharito. With less than five minutes remaining, he produced a clever finish after Ronaldo's off-balance pass found the Mexican near the penalty box. Chicharito smoothly knocked the ball in and ran wildly to the touchline before being mauled by his teammates.

• Real Madrid will wait to see who they'll be paired against when the semifinal draw is made Friday, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus as possible opponents.