Ronaldo equals Messi record in Real romp

Real Madrid closed in on the Champions League semifinals with an emphatic 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday as the nine-times winners avenged last season's humiliating loss to the Bundesliga side in style.

Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the record for most goals in the tournament in one season with his 14th and Gareth Bale and Isco also scored in the quarter-final first leg as Real steamrollered the team who beat them 4-1 in Dortmund in the first leg of last term's semi-final before going through 4-3 on aggregate.

Click to see gallery of Real vs Dortmund: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Ramos join celebration

Chasing the record-extending 10th continental crown which has eluded them since their last triumph in 2002, Real dominated an injury-hit Dortmund side who were also missing suspended striker Robert Lewandowski.

The Poland international, who scored all four goals against Real in last year's semi-final first leg, should be back for the return on Tuesday but Juergen Klopp's side must pull off something close to mission impossible to turn the tie around.

"I am very pleased with the match and the result," Real coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference before warning that Dortmund, who squandered several chances in the second period, remained a threat.

"We used up a lot of energy in the first half to keep up the intensity and then we held back in the second and tried to counter attack," added the Italian.

"What Borussia showed in the second half is that they are a team with quality who have what it takes to turn the tie around and we have to be careful next week."

Wales winger Bale poked the ball into the net in the third minute at the Bernabeu to put Real ahead and Spain playmaker Isco curled in a second in the 27th.

Ronaldo notched his 14th goal in eight Champions League games this season 12 minutes after halftime, matching a record for Europe's elite club competition jointly held by Barcelona's Lionel Messi and former AC Milan forward Jose Altafini.

It was the Portugal forward's 100th Champions League appearance and the goal, when he picked up a Luka Modric pass and clipped the ball into the net from close range, took his overall tally to 64.

"It's a magnificent result, we are pleased with the 3-0, above all for not conceding a goal," Isco said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus.

"It's a big step towards a place in the semi-finals," he added.

"The whole defence should get 10 out of 10, and the team as well, the result was more than deserved."

With several thousand yellow-and-black-clad travelling supporters in fine voice high up in the stands, Dortmund went on the attack from the kickoff but were rocked when Dani Carvajal found space in the area and slipped a pass to Bale.

The former Spurs player took one touch and then did well to stretch out a leg and poke the ball past onrushing Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller into an empty net.

MOUNTING WOES

Buoyed by the goal, the home side started to dominate and Weidenfeller pulled off an acrobatic save to keep out a Ronaldo free kick in the 12th minute before Isco struck.

Xabi Alonso intercepted the ball near the Dortmund penalty area and when it fell to Isco he sent a low curling effort just inside the post.

Weidenfeller was tested again when Bale arrowed a free kick towards the top corner and Dortmund's woes mounted when captain Sebastian Kehl picked up a yellow card and a suspension for the return leg.

The rain began pouring down at halftime and Dortmund started the second half brightly, almost scoring after a swift break in the 55th.

However, another sloppy pass out of defence led to Real's third and when Modric fed Ronaldo and he showed fancy footwork before beating a stranded Weidenfeller.

Ronaldo has not always received unconditional adoration from the Real faithful since joining in 2009 but he was given a rousing ovation when he apparently picked up an injury and was substituted 10 minutes from time.

Ronaldo has been having treatment on his left knee but Ancelotti said it was nothing to worry about.

Dortmund were comprehensively outplayed and came closest to a goal just before the hour when centre back Pepe blocked a close-range Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort.

Real are through to the Champions League last eight for a fourth consecutive season and have reached the semi-finals in the last three seasons.

"We conceded the goals, we were not compact enough and left big spaces between the lines, as big as I have ever seen them. The goal came early and that did not help, although you expect Real to score at home," Klopp told ZDF.

"Not being compact enough is risky against one of the best attacking teams in the world."

Real Madrid planted one foot firmly in the Champions League semifinals with an emphatic 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday as Cristiano Ronaldo equalled the record for most goals in the tournament in one season.

Gareth Bale poked the ball into the net in the third minute of the quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu to put a dominant Real ahead and Isco curled in a second in the 27th.

Ronaldo notched his 14th goal in eight Champions League games this season 12 minutes after halftime, matching a record set by Barcelona's Lionel Messi in 2011-12, as the nine-times winners opened a big lead going into the second leg on Tuesday.

It was the Portugal forward's 100th Champions League appearance and the goal, when he picked up a Luka Modric pass and clipped the ball into the net from close range, took his overall tally to 64.

Dortmund, who knocked Real out in the semi-finals last season, immediately went on the attack but were rocked back when Dani Carvajal found space in the area and slipped a pass to Bale.

The Wales winger took one touch and then did well to stretch out a leg and poke the ball past onrushing Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller into an empty net.

Buoyed by the goal, the home side started to dominate and Weidenfeller pulled off an acrobatic save to keep out a Ronaldo free kick in the 12th minute before Isco struck.

Xabi Alonso intercepted the ball near the Dortmund penalty area and when it fell to Isco he sent a low curling effort just inside the post.

Weidenfeller was tested again when Bale arrowed a free kick towards the top corner and Dortmund's woes mounted when captain Sebastian Kehl picked up a yellow card and a suspension for the return leg.

The rain began pouring down at halftime and Dortmund started the second half brightly, almost scoring after a swift break in the 55th.

However, another sloppy pass out of defence led to Real's third and when Modric fed Ronaldo and he showed fancy footwork before beating a stranded Weidenfeller.

Ronaldo has not always received unconditional adoration from the Real faithful since joining in 2009 but he was given a rousing ovation when he apparently picked up an injury and was substituted 10 minutes from time.

Missing striker Robert Lewandowski and a host of injured players, Dortmund were comprehensively outplayed and came closest to a goal just before the hour when centre back Pepe blocked a close-range Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort.

Chasing a record-extending 10th continental crown, Real are through to the Champions League last eight for a fourth consecutive season and have reached the semi-finals in the last three seasons.

FULL TIME

Real Madrid 3  (Gareth Bale 3", Isco 27", Ronaldo 57") Borussia Dortmund 0

Cristiano Ronaldo's 100th Champions League appearance got off with a bang with him adding his 63rd Champions League goal in the 57th minute to outmatch Dortmund in all departments of the game.
 
Real Madrid got off to a solid start with Gareth Bale denting Dortmund in the very 3rd minute of their UEFA Champions League match
 
Bale got on top of his shot off a Benzema pass tapping in a wonderfull pass into the net.
 
The early goal stunned the German camp who fell back to defend with their fire power injured strikers.
 
Real cashed on this move and attacked relentlessly with Dortmnd mamanging only feeble counter attacks.
 
Isco finally found the mark for Real in the 27th minute.
 
Isco squeezes the ball from a tight corner off a Bale effort to put the ball well out of reach of the keeper.
 
Both teams fought hard but Real looked the better team and almost threatened to increase the lead on more than two ocassions.
 
In the second half Real carried forward the thrust with Ronaldo capping off his 63rd UCL goal in the 57th minute.
 
Modric shakes off the Dortmund  defence to tap the ball to Ronaldo in front of the box who makes no mistake to script his 63rd UCL goal.
 
Both sides made quick substitutions but failed to make any impact in the second half of the game.

90+2" Real look to add another goal with Morata in top form. Casemiro supports him well in the box but fail to convert.

90" Morata is brought down and Real appeal but ref signals to play on.

87" Hummels and Schieber surge ahead but are blocked by Alonso and Pepe.

85" Schieber looks desperate to get on top of the ball but Pepe keeps him on check.

83" Bale makes a dash into the box dodging two defenders but slams the ball over the crossbar.

82" Pepe is guarding well the box with Casillas hardly facing any threat.

80" Aubameyang labours to get past the Real defence butfails with  Illarramendi blocking him well.

79" Ronaldo out and Casemiro is brought in his place to add teeth to Real's arsenal.

77" Dortmund struggle to reduce the gap with Kirch,Hofmann and Schiebe playing their hearts out.

72" Illarramendi is brought in place of Isco the star scorer. Dortmund gets Kirch to replace khel.

70" Real step up the pressure with benzema and Ronaldo building up the attack.

68" Dortmund rely on Hofmann and Schieber to execute their plan. But Carvajal and Pepe stay rock solid.

65" Hofmann working to a plan gets on the job. Piszczek now is brought out and Schieber is brought into the attack.

64" Dortmund makes a change gets Hofmann to replace Mkhitaryan.

62" Dortmund look outmatched at this stage with Real dictating the game in the midfield.

57" GOAL! Modric gets past the Dortmund  defence to tap the ball to Ronaldo in front of the box who makes no mistake to get his 63 UCL goal.

Real Madrid 3  (Gareth Bale 3", Isco 27", Ronaldo 57") Borussia Dortmund 0

53" Aubameyang is marked well by Pepe and Benzema and has little room for a good effort.

50" Grosskreutz attempts to latch on to the ball with Modric shadowing him but fails and Real move on.

48" Aubameyang wastes a Reus effort in the box slamming the ball to the left of the box.

46" Light shower on the field adds to the challenge for Dortmund.

46" Bale and Benzema are on top of the ball with Benzema darting into the box but is intercepted by Durm.

HALF TIME

Real Madrid 2  (Gareth Bale 3",  Isco 27") Borussia Dortmund 0 

45" Ref Mark Clattenburg signals to carry on as Ronaldo appeals for a freekick. the ref signals half time.

45" Ronaldo makes a dash with ball off a Alonso pass with Mkhitaryan close on heels and is brought down at the edge of the box.

44" Corner for Dortmund but Durm is brought down and looks in pain. Bale attempts to win the ball and has body contact.

42" Papastathopoulos, Mkhitaryan and Reus labour in the midfield to get past the Real defence.

39" Ronaldo out stretches himslef to the fullest to lath onto a Fabio pass in the box but just fails to get his touch on the ball.

37" Benzema attempts to get pass Durm int he box and slams the ball inches wide off the mark.

36" Pepe labours hard to slot in another goal but Mkhitaryan wins the ball over in time.

35" Dortmund look to suprise Real in the  counter attack with Grosskreutz and Aubameyang on the ball.

33" Ronaldo dashes into the box off a Pepe pass but is intercepted by Hummels.

31" Dortmund look rattled as Ronaldo and Bale make inroads into the box.

29" Bale takes a freekick off the edge of the box but the keeper reaches out in time to punch the ball over the bar.

27" GOAL! Isco squeezes the ball from a tight corner off a Bale effort to put the ball well out of reach of the keeper.

Real Madrid 2  (Gareth Bale 3",  Isco 27") Borussia Dortmund 0 

24" Reus on the ball but Carvajal makes a dash to put the ball  out of play for a throw in.

23" Alonso labours hard to stop the oncoming Piszczek and Durm.

21" Aubameyang moves the ball around to Sahin who taps it to Papastathopoulos but fails to latch on to the ball.

19" Dortmund on the counter attack with Kehl and Aubameyang ploughing through the defence.

15" Piszczek and Grosskreutz scripts moves which are well read by Fabio  and Modric to block potential threats.

14" Real are storming the Dortmund bastion with Ronaldo threatening to score twice.

10" Real surge ahead with Benzema who taps the ball to Ramos but is brought down. Ronaldo takes free kick but misses.

9" Dortmund make a feeble attempt to attack with Sahin and Grosskreutz but fail to keep the ball.

8" Real are tightening their grip with Ronaldo spearheading the attack well supported by Bale in the box.

7" Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo are tormenting the startled Dortmund camp.

3" GOAL! Bale scores off Benzema pass in the box tapping in a wonderfull pass into the net.

Real Madrid 1  (Gareth Bale 3") Borussia Dortmund 0

1" Dortmund attack with Kehl and Reus on the ball but are intercepted by Sergio.

Yes, it's that moment as both the teams lineup in the tunnel and head for the midfield.

Dortmund will be without main striker Robert Lewandowski as he's suspended. Without the focal point in their attack, Jurgen Klopp's side could struggle at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo's 100th Champions League appearance today. He'll be looking to add to his 63 UCL goals.

He is Portugal's 2nd centurion behind Luis Figo.

Madrid will be looking to extract revenge on Dortmund after their semi-final defeat last season.

Under 30 minutes to kick-off.

STARTING XI

Real Madrid: Casillas, Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao, Modric, Alonso, Isco, Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo. Subs: Diego Lopez, Varane, Casemiro, Nacho, Morata, Illarramendi, Jose Rodriguez.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Hummels, Papastathopoulos, Durm, Kehl, Sahin, Grosskreutz, Mkhitaryan, Reus, Aubameyang. Subs: Langerak, Friedrich, Hofmann, Jojic, Kirch, Schieber, Duksch.

TEAM NEWS

Carlo Ancelotti will be without Sami Khedira, Álvaro Arbeloa, Jesé and now Marcelo and Ángel Di María through injury.

Robert Lewandowski is suspended. Sebastian Kehl is one booking away from suspension.

Luka Modric could come into the starting XI after sitting out the welcome of Rayo at the weekend.

Lukas Piszczek was an unused substitute against Stuttgart and should start at right-back.

PROBABLE FORMATIONS

Real Madrid 4-3-3

Borussia Dortmund 4-2-3-1

STAT ATTACK

Real Madrid have scored at least 2 goals in their last 9 matches in the Champions League.

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of Borussia Dortmund's last 9 games in the Champions League.

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 7 of Real Madrid's last 8 games in the Champions League.

Real Madrid have scored at least 2 goals in their last 3 home matches against Borussia Dortmund in all competitions.

PREVIEW

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale believes his side have recovered from two successive league defeats as they look to exact revenge on Borussia Dortmund for their Champions League semi-final defeat last season.

Bale scored a double as Real responded from losing to Barcelona and Sevilla last week to beat Rayo Vallecano 5-0 on Saturday to remain in third place in La Liga, three points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid.

However, it is a Champions League quarter-final clash against the Germans that has whetted the Welshman's appetite as he admitted these are the type of games for which he left Tottenham Hotspur for Real last summer.

"I think it was important we responded well and got everything back on track," he told Real Madrid TV.

"We're massively looking forward to the Dortmund game. That is why you want to be playing football is to play in the big games.

"We are fully focussed on Wednesday night and hopefully we can do a good job."

Bale will once again join Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in a fearsome Madrid frontline with Ronaldo looking to equal Lionel Messi's record of 14 goals in a Champions League season.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti will make three changes from the side that started against Rayo with Iker Casillas, Marcelo and Luka Modric set to replace Diego Lopez, Fabio Coentrao and Asier Illarramendi.

Dortmund had the upper hand against Madrid as the sides met four times in last season's competition.

Jurgen Klopp's men took four points from a possible six in the group stage before eliminating the nine-time European champions 4-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

However, Klopp will have a more testing time in selecting his side this time round as the Germans have been ravaged by injuries.

Nevan Subotic, Marcel Schmelzer, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Ilkay Gundogan and Sven Bender are all injured, whilst top scorer Robert Lewandowski - who scored all four of his side's goals in the 4-1 semi-final, first leg win over Real last season - is suspended.

However, despite his selection problems, Klopp says his side have not regressed from last season.

"It has been a difficult season since the start. We have faced extraordinary challenges and an unprecedented injury crisis," he told Spanish sports daily Marca.

"I, at least, have never seen anything like it. But, with all that, we are in the position to achieve our goals when the season started. Therefore, we cannot talk about being weaker or less strong.

"We are second in the German league, in the semi-finals of the Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League. That is to say, exactly the same as last season.

"And, just like last season, we finished top of the hardest Champions League group, which shouldn't be forgotten. We will never give up."

Klopp is expected to use Marco Reus, who scored a hat-trick in Saturday's 3-2 win at lowly Stuttgart, or Gabonese international Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang in an unusual role as the lone striker to compensate for the loss of Lewandowski.

 

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