sports

Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid progress to UEFA Champions League semi-finals after stunning matches

 

Borussia Dortmund scored twice in injury time to shatter Malaga and progress to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the most extraordinary of circumstances.   

On a staggering morning of action in Europe, Real Madrid held on to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 5-3 on aggregate after losing 3-2 to Galatasaray in a pulsating second leg in the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

In Germany, Spain's Malaga looked to be going through when Eliseu put them 2-1 up with eight minutes remaining, before Marco Reus and Felipe Santana broke Spanish hearts in a thrilling climax.
Malaga took the lead when Joaquin rolled the ball in after 25 minutes, before Robert Lewandowski levelled the scores before half time.

But the away goal saw Dortmund become increasingly desperate, and Malaga looked to have qualified for the last four until the hosts' willpower saw them home.

In Turkey, Jose Mourinho's men looked to be home and hosed when Cristiano Ronaldo increased their 3-0 lead from the first leg in only the eighth minute, only for a dramatic burst of second half goals from Emmanuel Eboue, Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba to set up a tense finale, before Ronaldo had the final word.

Galatasaray's hearts were broken early, when Mesut Ozil's precise through-ball found Sami Khedira, with the midfielder's drilled low cross turned home from close range by Ronaldo for his 47th goal in 47 games this season.

Mourinho's men were only denied a second on the night by a sensational save from Muslera in the 24th minute as Ronaldo dragged the ball back and flicked it between his legs to release Di Maria into the area, but his first-time shot with the outside of his boot was somehow tipped over the bar by the goalkeeper.

Sneijder forced Diego Lopez into a diving save seven minutes before the interval as his snap-shot from the edge of the box following a short corner flew through a forest of legs, but the Spanish giants were rarely troubled in the opening period.

Ronaldo missed a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate with 57 minutes gone when he was found eight yards out by Di Maria, but got the ball tangled up in his feet and could only shuffle a shot wide of the far post.

Galatasaray finally got on the scoresheet in the tie seconds later as Eboue let fly a first-time shot with the outside of his boot from the edge of the area which arrowed beyond a static Lopez and ripped into the top corner of the net.

They should have taken the lead on the night in the 62nd minute as Sneijder was inadvertently set up by Fabio Coentrao's hashed clearance across his own box, only for the Holland international to somehow skew his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

But the former Inter Milan made amends in the 71st minute as he burst into the Real box to finish confidently beyond Lopez to place just an element of doubt in the minds of the Madrid players.
And Drogba then produced a stunning finish 60 seconds later, flicking the ball between his legs with his back to goal from substitute Nordin Amrabat's cross to find the bottom corner of Lopez's net with the goalkeeper again helpless.

Ronaldo smashed a rising drive narrowly over and Drogba had the ball in the net with 10 minutes to go only to be correctly given offside. Substitute Alvaro Arbeloa was dismissed for two quick-fire bookings in the closing stages before Ronaldo struck deep into added time