Schalke caused chaos in Bernabeu, Real almost became former champion

The German team won 4-3 in the second leg of the round of 16 and was only one goal away from eliminating Real Madrid from the Champions League on the evening of March 10.

Ronaldo reappears in the list of goalscorers for Real. Photo:Reuters

Goals: Ronaldo 25', 45', Benzema 53' - Fuchs 20', Huntelaar 40', 84', Sane 57'

Schalke 04 showed great determination to win 4-3 at the Bernabeu after three goals. If they had scored one more goal, Roberto di Matteo's team could have overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit and qualified for the quarter-finals on away goals.

In a third consecutive poor performance, Real once again had Cristiano Ronaldo to thank. This player directly scored two equalizers in the first half, not only pulling the team out of the quagmire but also successfully maintaining the chance to defend the Champions League title.

Real also had to thank luck for not conceding more in the final minutes, a period when Schalke had at least two chances to threaten the goal. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas showed his composure with two decisive saves, making up for his mistakes after conceding the first and third goals.

Casillas's inconsistency also goes hand in hand with Real's poor form, which coach Carlo Ancelotti has been unable to pull up. Just like the two recent draws with Villarreal and losses to Bilbao, the Bernabeu team, especially the defense, has been constantly on the defensive against Schalke. Thanks to that, the German visitors soon had a worthy opening goal from a powerful left-footed shot by Christian Fuchs. Casillas appeared to be complacent in this losing situation, using only one hand to block the ball and letting it bounce into the net.

Conceding the first goal, Real began to feel the pressure and only then realized how much they appreciated Ronaldo. CR7 did not let his team and fans worry for too long when he headed home an equalizer from a corner kick in the 25th minute. This goal also showed that the world's best player's aerial skills had reached perfection when he only needed a small space to jump high and shoot accurately in a crowd of tall Schalke players. At the end of the first half, Ronaldo even jumped comfortably in the middle of the opponent's penalty area to head home the second goal from a cross by Fabio Coentrao. That was the equalizer after Klaas Jan Huntelaar had given Schalke a second lead in the 40th minute.

Schalke also made Real sweat before being eliminated. Photo: Reuters.

If the first half was even with both teams scoring chances and goals, the second half was a truly dominant performance from Schalke. Real even had to rely on luck (the referee did not call offside for Karim Benzema) to make it 3-2. The rest belonged to the visitors. After 19-year-old Leroy Sane's perfect left-footed curler levelled the score at 3-3, Schalke continued to dominate with Di Matteo's bold tactics. Those efforts finally brought victory with Huntelaar's decisive run and finish in the 84th minute.

Schalke could only blame luck for not being on their side this time. In the last five minutes of the match, Casillas repeatedly blocked Sane's long-range shot and Howedes' volley in the penalty area. Real fans at the Bernabeu almost held their breath at these two situations. If only one of them had turned into a goal, Real could have lost 3-5 and been eliminated.

Real advanced with a 5-4 aggregate victory. Photo: Reuters.

With a triumphant win at the Bernabeu, Schalke can leave the tournament with their heads held high. This is a big step up from the 2-9 aggregate loss they suffered to Real in the round of 16 last season.

According to VNE