Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said matchwinner Cristiano Ronaldo had "deserved a magic night" after the Portuguese's hat trick against Wolfsburg.
Ronaldo had a quiet game as Wolfsburg won last week's first leg 2-0 in Germany, but inside the first 17 minutes his quick double strike had the tie level on aggregate and he went on to score again to see his side through to the Champions League semifinals.
Wolfsburg reorganised and held out until the 77th minute when Ronaldo's 25-yard free kick went through the opposition wall and into the net -- taking him to 16 Champions League goals this season, and 46 in all competitions for his club.
Despite these figures Ronaldo has been criticised by some pundits for an up and down season, and also whistled by his own team's fans at the Bernabeu, leading to some reports that club president Florentino Perez might even look to sell the 31-year-old in the summer.
Ramos told Spanish TV after the game that Ronaldo had proven his worth again.
"Despite some runs without goals, he is always a great goal scorer and he is our icon," Ramos said. "Cris deserved a magic night. We need him, he gives everything for the badge, has been showing for a long time that he is number one. When he is in good form you notice it."
Ramos himself came under fire recently after his Clasico sending off at Barcelona, but had a decent game himself in both penalty areas, crashing a header off the post with the game at 2-2 on aggregate, and also dealing comfortably with Wolfsburg's few semi-dangerous attacks.
"I feel good and satisfied," he said, before referring to a shoulder problem which hampered him earlier in the campaign. "It has been a difficult season for me, I have played many games with pain, and I needed a night like this."
Asked which opponent he would like to face in the semifinals, Ramos said he was just happy that Madrid had done their work and made the last four for a sixth successive season.
"There are two other Spanish clubs still in there, and I will not get into that," he said. "We have done our homework, and each one should stick to what they do themselves."