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Didier Drogba of Galatasaray tussles with Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Chelsea and Galatasaray AS at Stamford Bridge on March 18, 2014 in London, England. (GETTY)
Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate win against Galatasaray on Tuesday, with Real Madrid joining them in the last eight after thrashing Schalke 04 9-2 over two legs of their last-16 tie.
Chelsea's clash with Galatasaray was finely balanced after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but the hosts eased the tension around Stamford Bridge when Samuel Eto'o's deflected shot crept under visiting keeper Fernando Muslera after four minutes.
England defender Gary Cahill doubled Chelsea's advantage two minutes before halftime, smashing home from close range after Muslera parried John Terry's powerful header from a corner.
Schalke were playing for pride at Real Madrid, after a humiliating 6-1 home defeat in the first leg, but struggled again to contain the Spanish team's dynamic forwards.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with his 40th goal of the season, tapping in Gareth Bale's cross after 21 minutes.
Schalke equalised nine minutes later when right back Tim Hoogland's shot from distance took a mean deflection off Sergio Ramos and trickled into the corner with Iker Casillas wrong-footed.
A remarkable reflex save from Ralf Faehrmann denied Ronaldo another when his header was kept out after the interval, but he added a second with a typically spectacular low drive after 74 minutes, his 13th in this season's competition.
The Portugal captain missed the chance to equal Lionel Messi's record 14-goal tally for one Champions League campaign two minutes later when his shot hit the crossbar.
Yet Bale's first-time pass from the rebound set up Alvaro Morata to sweep in and complete a miserable exit for Schalke.
Chelsea and Real Madrid join Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Manchester United host Olympiakos Piraeus and Zenit St Petersburg travel to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, with the final two places in the last eight up for grabs.
Didier Drogba's Stamford Bridge homecoming turned out to be a damp squib as Chelsea cruised into the Champions League last eight with a 2-0 win over toothlesss Galatasaray on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate success.
First-half goals by Samuel Eto'o and Gary Cahill effectively settled the tie and Chelsea then smothered the match with Frank Lampard offering a tireless midfield screen and their John Terry-led defence in total command.
"We are a Champions League club, we are amongst the last eight, the best teams in the world, with all the big clubs. The players deserve to be there," said Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
"Last season the Europa league was a different level but to come from there to the Champions League quarter-final is important for the players and the club," he added.
Chelsea won the second-tier Europa League competition last season under Rafa Benitez after being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.
Tuesday's defeat for Galatasaray capped a frustrating return for former fans' favourite Drogba who received a hearty welcome before kickoff and even gave Mourinho a kiss.
However, the Ivory Coast striker failed to make any headway as the visitors slipped out of the competition without once testing home keeper Petr Cech.
"I think it was difficult the way the team played, if you are a striker and the team is not there you are a lonely man," Mourinho said of Drogba's performance.
"I think he couldn't do much, in my opinion Gary Cahill and John Terry gave a fantastic performance, we controlled the game so well we couldn't see Didier in the dangerous positions."
EARLY GOAL
Galatasaray had not won in eight previous visits to English clubs, drawing three and losing five, and the odds of them ending that streak lengthened considerably with a goal after four minutes that settled the hosts.
Eden Hazard produced a neat touch and turn on the halfway line and sent Oscar clear down the right. The Brazilian crossed low for Eto'o who swept in a low shot that keeper Fernando Muslera got a hand to but could not keep out.
The goal quietened the travelling fans, who had brought some welcome noise and colour to their corner of the ground, and Chelsea's experience kept them subdued as the home side remained calmly in control of a stop-start first half punctuated by endless free kicks.
If the first goal was the product of Chelsea's international brigade, the second in the 42nd minute was fashioned from traditional British beef as Terry headed a Lampard header goalwards and, after Muslera parried, fellow centre back Cahill slammed the loose ball gleefully into the roof of the net.
Chelsea worked hard to maintain their shape in the second half and Galatasaray's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who was the key man when Inter Milan beat Chelsea here four years ago, was a peripheral figure.
So too was Drogba, whose miserable return to London was summed up by a first-half free kick that was so high that it clattered into a "Drogba Legend" banner hung by Chelsea fans from the second tier of the stands.
His team did not muster a single shot on goal all night and when their only real chance fell to the 36-year-old in the final minute, his swinging boot failed to make any contact.
Galatasaray coach Roberto Mancini said: "We really played very, very badly. Chelsea were the better side and they converted the opportunities they got.
"It's impossible to score with just one shot on goal. We need to take several steps in order to be a better team."
The match was Chelsea's 100th home game in European competition and few of the previous 99 can have been so easy.
They could go into Friday's quarter-final draw as England's only remaining club after Manchester City and Arsenal were eliminated last week and Manchester United face a tough task to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit when they host Olympiakos Piraeus on Wednesday.
FULL TIME
With the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw it meant the Premier League toppers became the first English team to go through to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate and will join Real Madrid who routed Schalke 9-2 on aggregate.
The others to make the last eight stage are Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich.
Didier Drogba failed to make an impression against his former club and with him out of form it was curtains for the Turkish club.
90'' Drogba's best chance comes in the end and he fails to connect a free-kick from a melee.87'' Torres gets his first touch and should have had his name on the scorer's list but poor finishing saw Muslera's save look brilliant.
84'' Torres comes in for Eto'o.
83'' Hazard is deprived of a certain goal by Muslera parrying his shot away.
82'' Azpilicueta on his own down the left flank and then tries to find the second angle but in vain.
81'' Chelsea make their first substitution as Oscar makes way for Andre Schurrle.
80'' Oscar shoots his free-kick towards goal but Muslera plays safe by punching it into the clear.
76'' Galatasaray make their third substitution as Izet Hajrovic comes in for Emmanuel Eboue.
75'' Fifteen minutes to go and Chelsea seem to have a stranglehold over Galatasaray.
69'' Lampard has his free-kick going well over. They can afford to miss the target as time's runs out for Galata.
67'' YELLOW! Frustration creeping in for Galatasaray as Drogba gets a yellow after they make their second substitution.
65'' Lampard almost applies the finishing touches to some good work by Oscar but Muslera come to Galatasaray's rescue.
Some 3,000 Turkish fans cheer their team but Galatasaray look very ordinary today.
57'' YELLOW! Ivanovic is cauitioned for a foul on Drogba.
56'' Oscar plays selfishly trying to score from an acute angle.
55'' Ten minutes up in the second half and the Turkish club look far from scoring even a goal.
53'' Galatasaray make a substitution bringing in Umut Bulut for Burak Yilmaz.
50' Willian's shot from close is stopped by Muslera.'
47'' Hazard covers almost 60 yards with the ball, enters the Galatasaray area but takes too long to release the ball wasting all the effort effort.
Two second-half goals for Galatasaray would send them through, but Chelsea can be confident enough. The Blues haven't conceded more than once at home in a knockout game since the 4-4 draw with Liverpool in 2009.
An early strike by Samuel Eto'o (4th) and one towards the end of the first half by Gary Cahill (43rd) put Chelsea firmly in control of the second leg round of 16 Champions League match against Galatasaray at the Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
With a 3-1 aggregate lead the Blues could be assured of a quarter-final spot while the Turkish club will have to look to Drogba to pull out a rabbit from the hat.
But the striker seems to be nursing a hanstring injury as he looked in pain.
It's not going to be easy though as Galatasaray look completely out of sorts in defence while their forwards are yet to make any headway into the Chelsea area.
HALF TIME
42'' GOAL! Gary Cahill scores from a corner after Muslera stops the first attempt from Lampard.
40'' YELLOW! Oscar is hauled up for a sliding tackle on SelcukInan.
38'' Hazard to Eto'o sells a dummy to a defender and finds Willian but the last-named shoots wide.
36'' Drogba sends his free-kick into the crowd and onto his huge poster.
32'' Lampard free-kick and the Galatasaray defence is exposed. John Yerry stretches to connect a left footer but it goes sailing over.
27'' The Turkish club seems to be leaving gaping holes in defence and if Chelsea manage another goal it will be all over for Drogba and his side.
25'' Galatasaray are yet to find their feet at Stamford Bridge with barely a good shot at the Chelsea goal.
23'' Hazard has another shot from outside the box but is unable to rattle Muslera.
22'' Eden Hazard veers his way down the left flank but instead of crossing to Eto'o finds his shot into the gloves of Muslera.
21'' Chelsea rattle their opponents with some lovely passing from their own half into the Galatasaray box only for Lampard to shoot over.
18'' YELLOW! Galatasaray's Felipe Melo gets a yellow for a harsh tackle on Willian and he will miss the next match if they progress.
15'' Drogba tries a scissor kick from top of the box but is way above the goal.
11'' Ramirez who is wearing a phantom-like mask has a heavy fall and hurts his cheek, goes for treatment but is back.
10'' Rough tackles by both teams reduces play to mediocrity.
5'' Drogba has his first look at the Chelsea goal but his shot lacks power and Cech dives to his left to stop it.
4' GOAL! Eto'o scores to give Chelsea a solid start.
Chelsea 1 (Eto'o 4'') Galatasaray 0
Oscar and Eden Hazard link up well to free the Cameroon striker, his touch is sound and he rattles in a quick shot which creeps under the body of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
1'' Match gets under way with Galatasaray rolling the ball ahead for what could be an exciting evening.
The Chelsea fans go ballistic as they hail their once superstar Drogba who goes across to greet Jose Mourinho.
Teams lineup in the dugout.
Just 10 minutes to go so hold on to your chairs and don't go anywhere.
Droga gets a rousing welcome at Stamford Bridge and he reciprocates by waving to the crowd. Both teams do some light workout as there is less than 15 minutes to go for the kick-off.
Ramires, who was sent off at Villa Park on Saturday for a horrible challenge, is the only Chelsea player starting tonight on a booking. One rash tackle and he will miss the Blues' next game in Europe.
Thirty minutes to kick-off then at Stamford Bridge, where the first goal could well be crucial. A 1-1 draw would send us to extra-time tonight, while any draw with more goals - from 2-2 upwards would send the Turkish side through on away goals.
Oscar and Samuel Eto'o both start for Chelsea in the only changes from the first leg. Didier Drogba thankfully starts for Galatasaray.
TEAMS
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Lampard, Oscar, Hazard, Willian, Eto'o.
Subs: Schwarzer, Luiz, Torres, Mikel, Schurrle, Ba, Kalas.
Galatasaray:Muslera, Alex Telles, Chedjou, Kaya, Eboue, Felipe Melo, Selcuk Inan, Sneijder, Yekta Kurtulus, Drogba, Burak
Subs: Ceylan, Burdisso, Gulselam, Hajrovic, Bulut, Balta, Sarioglu.
Didier Drogba returns to Chelsea for the first time since his last kick for the Blues sealed victory over Bayern Munich in 2012 Champions League final.
The Ivory star has won Premier League (2005, 2006, 2010), Champions League (2012) and FA Cup (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) with Chelsea.
Drogba netted 157 goals in 342 appearances during an eight-year spell at Chelsea.
Galatasaray have lost only one of their last 23 games in all competitions but have not won in eight visits to English clubs, drawing three and losing five.
TEAM NEWS
Ramires and Willian are likely to return for Chelsea's Champions League last-16 second leg game against Galatasaray on Tuesday, despite their domestic dismissals at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Ashley Cole (knee) did not train on Monday but David Luiz (groin) did ahead of the match at Stamford Bridge, with the tie finely poised at 1-1.
Luiz could replace the cup-tied Nemanja Matic in central midfield.
Former Blues striker Didier Drogba, 36, is expected to start for the visitors, but Aydin Yilmaz, Eray Iscan, Gokhan Zana and Emre Colak are all sidelined through injury.
PREVIEW
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