Uruguay KO Ronaldo, Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo hit back at his critics after his hat-trick pulled Real Madrid from behind to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 on aggregate and secure a place in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Spanish side were well beaten in Germany last week and faced an uphill challenge on Tuesday as they trailed 2-0 heading into the second-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo spectacularly overturned the deficit with a treble, firing home twice in the space of 90 seconds to level the tie just 17 minutes in before he settled matters with a superb chipped free-kick near the end of the game.

And the Portuguese attacker, who has scored 46 goals in 42 La Liga and Champions League games this term, insists that despite the criticism he has faced, his statistics show he is having a fantastic year.

"Considering this has been a 'bad' season for me it has not been that bad," he told reporters. "People can criticise me but I just keep in going and the numbers are there for all to see.

"Just because I have scored three goals does not mean it's my best game. People know that I always give the maximum. The numbers do not lie.

"I will always try to help the team. The goals are in my DNA, but the important thing was the team.

"We knew we had to score three or more goals. It was an intense match, we controlled the game. We were more intense and had more opportunities. We were the better team.

"It was a perfect night. I said it would be a magical night and it was what happened.

"The fans supported us and gave us a lot of strength to win a match that was complicated."

Asked if he would prefer to face Barcelona or Atletico Madrid - who meet in their second-leg clash on Wednesday - in the last four, Ronaldo replied: "It is complicated. Atletico is the better defensive team, difficult to score goals against.

"Barca is at this time the best team in Europe. Both are very complicated. I would prefer Benfica, a Portuguese team."

Save the Children has stated that reports claiming Cristiano Ronaldo had donated £5million to the charity to help aid efforts in Nepal were "false" reports The Independent.

According to a report in a French magazine, So Foot, the Real Madrid star donated €7million (£5m) to the charity over the weekend to help efforts for a disaster that has killed more than 8,000 people and 20,000 injured.

A second earthquake has occurred in the region with another 96 dead and thousands more injured.

The 30-year-old also appealed to his 100 million Facebook followers to support the charity's work.

However, Save the Children released a statement to clarify that he had not donated that sum.

"The global ambassador for Save the Children, Cristiano Ronaldo, has used his voice and his global visibility to raise awareness of the problems faced by the most vulnerable children around the world, including those affected by the earthquake in Nepal," it read.

"The latest information on the donation of Cristiano Ronaldo to the emergency response of Save the Children in Nepal is false. After the second earthquake, which has brought further devastation to the country, the NGO wants to thank Cristiano Ronaldo and other influential people for their support in publicising the situation facing children and families in Nepal."

Ronaldo is well known for his philanthropy and has been the charity's ambassador since 2013; he also works with Unicef and World Vision.

L-R: KYLIAN MBAPPE, EDEN HAZARD, LUKA MODRIC, HARRY KANE

The semifinal line-up is complete and two intriguing, all-European ties lie in wait. But while the teams in the last four of Russia 2018 hail from the same continent, the similarities end there. France, Belgium, England and Croatia all boast very different attributes. This article on FIFA.COM takes a look at the salient features of the four semifinalists.

FRANCE: VERSATILITY

Not so long ago, Didier Deschamps would have been criticised for this aspect of his France team, with some journalists alleging that Les Bleus had a thousand faces and no real identity. In fact, it is emerging as a vital attribute. Functional during their group matches, France were spectacular against Argentina, then solid and efficient against Uruguay. Three different French teams? No -- the same, but with different tactics.

France know how to adapt their style depending on their opponents, and that is a rare and precious ability. The tactical set-up can be 4-3-3 one match and 4-2-3-1 the next, while Deschamps can decide to use Olivier Giroud's size or Kylian Mbappe's speed to destabilise defences. As we've seen during this World Cup, there are no weak teams anymore and even giants like Germany and Spain had a hard time playing 'their game'. Possession doesn't ensure victory and experience doesn't guarantee success. Options are everything.

BELGIUM: TEAM SPIRIT

The Belgians arrived with one of the best squads on paper, but their biggest success in Russia has been establishing strong collective values.

This may represent their most important asset simply because it has not always been present in the past. Nor has this Belgium team previously been famed for resilience, which they showed in bucket-loads against both Japan and Brazil. Their star individuals, including the magic trio of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, have stepped up when needed. But it's also worth noting that the Red Devils have had nine different goalscorers in Russia. Everyone is playing their part.

Roberto Martinez, too, seems to be the right man at the right time, as he looks to have found a way to get the best from his collection of stars and bring them together as a unit. In this Belgian squad, everyone is fit to play and ready to make sacrifices on the pitch or, in some cases, to accept their status as substitutes and support their team-mates.

ENGLAND: VARIETY

Picking a single strength to define England is increasingly difficult, as Gareth Southgate's side continue to find new and different ways to win. We're all becoming accustomed to how this young, ever-improving side uses confidence, a modern system and togetherness to its advantage. They are prepared for any match situation, any opposition and their game management is ruthlessly effective.

England have even won their first World Cup penalty shootout here in Russia, and that is before we even begin to examine the individual stars, from their heroic goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to the talisman and tournament top-scorer, Harry Kane - each just 24 years of age.

This could be the most complete England side we have seen since 1990, the last time the Three Lions reached a semi-final. Yet this team, with its modern, patient and composed approach to the game, is also breaking the Three Lions mould. They are here to make their own history.

CROATIA: MIDFIELD TALENT

Given the manner in which they sailed through arguably Russia 2018's most difficult group, and survived two stern tests in the knockout stages, Croatia have been one of the teams of the tournament. The greatest asset that Zlatko Dalic's side possess is undoubtedly their midfield, which ranks as one of the best at this World Cup. The players in that department of the team almost always seem composed, organised and unruffled.

Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are the lynchpins of this Croatia team. It is not often that players from Madrid and Barcelona combine to such devastating effect, but that is exactly what Rakitic is doing with Modric at the heart of the Vatreni engine room. They are far from alone though. Add in Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozovic, Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic, Fiorentina's Milan Badelj and it all adds up to a truly superb generation of Croatian midfielders.

Portugal Captain Cristiano Ronaldowas treated to a traditional Russian welcome of bread and salt when he arrived with his teammates at Moscow. When the world’s best player, all suited up, was standing with his wing on a lined-up row for a group picture, a traditionally dressed up Russian girl with a round tray containing bread and salt made him laugh and that part of ceremony quite bemused the Portuguese superstar.

Ronaldo broke off a portion of the loaf of bread and dipped it in the salt as teammates and officials could not contain their laughter at the Real Madrid winger's initial hesitation.

Ronaldo finally bit into the bread before turning and laughing to manager Fernando Santos. An age-old Russian tradition, the welcome is practiced when important, respected, or admired guests arrive, and is a sign of hospitality.

The specially baked round bread - known as "karavai" in Russian - is presented with a salt shaker on top and covered with an embroidered towel and presented by a girl in a national “sarafan” outfit with a “kokoshnik” head dress.

The custom is practiced most often during official events or when politicians visit the country. Ronaldo and Portugal kick off their World Cup campaign in a clash of the titans battle against Spain on June 15 in Sochi.

France, Belgium face off.

The two best teams of this World Cup lock horns tonight. A dream match that has every potential to live up to its billing as a Battle Royale.

A fierce fight is on the cards at many levels between the two attacking sides of world football. France are in possession of the richest talent and Belgium in the company of their Golden Generation. Both teams have already proved they can score, hold on to it and come back into the match after conceding goals.          

There will be lots of small fights within the fight.

A fight of class between No. 10s is one of those.

Although not always the case, the best player of the team usually puts on the number 10 jersey in football. The No. 10 jersey carries with it a sense of greatness, a sign of respect and a symbol of hope. The history of the World Cup is filled with magical players who, with this jersey on, put in amazing performances for their countries. The No. 10 jersey was popularised with Pele's phenomenal performance in 1958, and then almost all the greats including Maradona arrived thereafter wearing the shirt and made it more famous. In this World Cup, Lionel Messi and Neymar too wore the No. 10 but could not do much.

It would be interesting to see how the No. 10s of France and Belgium fare. Eden Hazard is not only the best in the Belgium camp but also one of a few top playmakers in the world eligible to wear the number. He is the heart of Belgium that never stops. Either he is scoring or making intelligent assists. He is active all the time. On the other hand, a French wonderkid is wearing the No. 10 in his debut World Cup. And Kylian Mbappe has already more than justified the decision. Interestingly though, Mbappe has invoked memories of Pele by becoming the first teenager since the Brazilian legend to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match.

There will be a battle of wits between two coaches -- France's Didier Deschamps and Belgium's Roberto Martinez. The game plan is all too crucial. At this stage of the tournament, they have adequate knowledge about each other's weaknesses and strength. So, the homework is done and the plot ready.        

There will be a battle of efficiency between two captains in implementing game plans. France's Hugo Lloris can count on his captaincy experience to prevail over Eden Hazard, Belgium's captain for this World Cup. Lloris will keep under the bar while Hazard will lead the attack from midfield. The captain's armband is a test of character. Some rise to the opportunity and become magnificent. Hazard is becoming magnificent.

It will also be a battle between midfield marshals to dictate the game. It would be a treat to watch how France's masterful duo of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante operate against Belgium's highly energetic trio of Axel Witsel, Nacer Chadli and Marouane Fellaini.

And, of course, goals are all that matter in the end. So, the focus will be on two rival strikers -- France's Kylian Mbappe and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. Both are of African origin: formidable, speedy and hungry for goals.  

But which team are going to celebrate in the end? It's a close call. But it is safe to say that the team that prevails in the majority of battles within battles would win the match!

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star