The road to Cardiff: How Real Madrid is mercilessly conquering Europe

It's becoming a pattern. Draw first blood, give the opponent a glimmer of hope, and deliver a finishing blow. Repeat.

Real Madrid's parade through the Champions League is nothing short of cold-blooded. Los Blancos are conquering one European city after another, planting their flag atop football's most iconic stadiums in ruthless fashion.

On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid became the latest club to feel Real Madrid's pitiless wrath. Having suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first leg, Los Colchoneros hauled themselves back into contention with two goals within the second leg's first 16 minutes. The tie had life, and there was reason to believe the curse of El Pupas - the jinxed one - could be ended.

Then, in the blink of an eye, reality set in. Karim Benzema took out Jose Maria Gimenez, Stefan Savic, and Diego Godin with one brilliant piece of footwork. Jan Oblak could only parry a powerful shot from Toni Kroos, and Isco clipped the rebound into the back of the net. Just like that, the tie was over, and Real Madrid's ticket to Cardiff was punched.

It was another fine example of Real Madrid's lack of remorse. There is a killer instinct within Los Blancos that can't be overlooked. Napoli and Bayern Munich witnessed it firsthand in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.

Sergio Ramos shoots down Napoli's comeback

Napoli looked capable of overturning a 3-1 deficit at Stadio San Paolo. Dries Mertens pulled one back for the Partenopei as Real Madrid endured a first-half battering. Another goal would have been enough to eliminate the reigning champion.

It was all for naught. Real Madrid went on to win the second leg 3-1 for a 6-2 victory on aggregate. A header from Sergio Ramos killed Napoli's momentum. Mertens tallied an own goal and Alvaro Morata scored in second-half stoppage time for good measure. What looked like a well-balanced tie quickly turned into a massacre. The Partenopei's supporters were left feeling foolish for believing their club had a chance.

Gareth Bale epitomised Real Madrid's unforgiving mentality once the tie was over, saying: "No we weren't concerned. We knew it's a difficult place to come, we knew there was going to be an onslaught from them. We just had to be solid, be patient and wait for our moment, and that happened."

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick seals Bayern Munich fate

In one of most absorbing ties in the Champions League's history, Real Madrid made sure Bayern Munich suffered a slow and painful death. Los Blancos won the first leg 2-1 at the Allianz Arena, and, with the second leg scoreless at the interval, all signs pointed to a straightforward win.

But Real Madrid, with some help from the referee, decided to toy with Bayern before the tie was over.

First came a penalty kick. Casemiro brought down Arjen Robben by leaving a leg out, and Robert Lewandowski converted from the spot. Two minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo beat Manuel Neuer with a header, Ramos produced an own goal, setting the stage for extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu. Before the end of the second half, however, Arturo Vidal was wrongfully sent off, meaning the German club would have to play 30 minutes of additional football with only 10 players.

Bayern was rightfully livid, and Real Madrid, boasting a one-man advantage, had no trouble finishing the job. Ronaldo became a one-man firing squad and bagged a hat-trick as Los Blancos manufactured a 6-3 victory on aggregate. A tie that felt on edge was, in the end, a one-sided affair.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)