Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid sealed a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals with an impressive 3-1 victory over FC Schalke at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday.
Real Madrid with their biggest aggregate victory in the UEFA Champions League at 9-2. Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace – his 40th and 41st goals of the season – took him to 13 goals in the competition this term, beating his personal best from last season.
But Real Madrid’s night was soured by a potentially serious injury to talented young forward Jese. The forward reportedly suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury in an innocuous tussle with Sead Kolasinac inside two minutes.
Alvaro Morata nets his first UEFA Champions League goal after poking home the rebound after Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a hat-trick when his effort hit the bar and bounced out. Gareth Bale is the provider yet again after pouncing on a misplaced Schalke pass before continuing his run and squaring the ball to set up the goalscorer with a cutback from the byline.
Tim Hoogland’s heavily deflected strike was all Schalke had to show from their trip to Madrid, although Jens Keller’s men were at least spared a repeat of the abject drubbing they suffered on home turf last month.
1st LEG FT: FC Schalke 1 – 6 Real
Real Madrid: Benzema (13′, 57′), Bale Goal (21′, 69′), Ronaldo Goal 52′, 89′
FC Schalke: Huntelaar (90+1′)
2nd LEG FT: Real Madrid 3 – 1 FC Schalke
Real Madrid: Ronaldo (22′, 74′), Morala (75′)
FC Schalke: Hoogland (31′)
Aggregate Score: Real Madrid 9 – 2 FC Schalke