Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 9-2 aggregate victory over Schalke thanks to a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Ronaldo put Real ahead on the night when he swept home Gareth Bale’s low cross on 21 minutes, but Tim Hoogland’s deflected effort brought the visitors level before half-time.
It took until 16 minutes from time for Ronaldo to put Madrid back in front as he collected a loose ball from Bale and stormed forward to drill low into the net for his 13th Champions League goal of the season.
Bale was the creator once more for his side’s third moments later when he squared for Alvaro Morata to fire home after Ronaldo had struck the bar.
However, victory came at a cost for Madrid as promising forward Jese Rodriguez suffered cruciate ligament injury in his right knee early on in the game.
“I think it is confirmed he has ruptured cruciate ligament,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti.
“He has had bad luck and it is bad luck for Real Madrid because we are going to lose a very important, young player who has done very well this season and surprised everyone.”
Schalke boss Jens Keller lamented a few individual mistakes that cost his side, but was proud of how his inexperienced reacted to their 6-1 thrashing in the first leg and had particularly praise for goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann.
“Real Madrid have the quality to turn a chance into a goal in a second. The tough thing is that due to two specific mistakes they scored two goals,” he said.
“I think the team reacted well and even the 19-year-old players we had out today performed well, whilst Farmann proved again that he can be a world class goalkeeper.
“I am a bit sad at the result, but I am pleased with the performance.”
Ancelotti had named a weakened side with one eye on Sunday’s crucial La Liga clash against Barcelona.
However, the Italian was forced to introduce Bale inside the first 10 minutes when Jese had to be stretchered off after appearing to suffer a serious knee injury as he challenged for the ball with Sead Kolasinac on the right.
Bale replaced the Spanish under-21 international and injected plenty of pace into Madrid’s play for the rest of the half.
The Welshman teed up Ronaldo for the opener as he received Morata’s pass and squared for the Portuguese to tap into an empty net.
Morata should have doubled his side’s advantage six minutes later after a wonderful run and cross by Bale, but he skewed horribly wide with just Fahrmann to beat.
Against the run of play, Schalke were back on level terms just after the half hour mark when Hoogland wandered forward from right-back and saw his shot deflect off Sergio Ramos and past the flat-footed Iker Casillas.
Fahrmann then made a hat-trick of saves to keep his side from going in behind at the break as he denied Isco, Morata and Nacho.
And the Bundesliga side could even have been in front at the break as former Real striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar slotted the ball inches past the far post from Max Meyer’s through ball.
Fahrmann was a busy man in the second period too as he made a fantastic save to turn a Ronaldo header over before denying Isco from close range.
Ronaldo did finally put the hosts back in front as he drove at the Schalke defence before firing low past the helpless Fahrmann.
And Morata got the confidence boast he needed two minutes later when Bale unselfishly squared after Ronaldo had struck the bar.
Ronaldo came within inches of his hat-trick and equalling Lionel Messi’s record of 14 Champions League goals in a season again seven minutes from time, but he had to settle for just a double on the night as his low left-footed effort came back off the post and rebounded to safety.
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
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Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
