Real Madrid lost a 4-3 thriller with Schalke, but scraped through to the Champions League quarters anyway, while Porto battered Basel.
The Champions League has its first quarter-finalists after tonight’s Round of 16 fixtures.
Trophy holders Real had won the first leg 2-0 in Germany, but recent poor Liga form spilled out into Europe too.
Real Madrid lost a 4-3 thriller with Schalke, but scraped through to the Champions League quarters anyway, while Porto battered Basel.
The Champions League has its first quarter-finalists after tonight’s Round of 16 fixtures.
Trophy holders Real had won the first leg 2-0 in Germany, but recent poor Liga form spilled out into Europe too.
They were twice trailing at the Bernabeu to Roberto Di Matteo’s Schalke with Christian Fuchs and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace of headers and Karim Benzema put Real 3-2 up.
Leroy Sane’s strike surprised Iker Casillas and Huntelaar pounced on a Luka Modric error to smash his finish in off the underside of the bar to turn it around again, 4-3 to Schalke.
The Germans needed only one more goal to win the tie on away goals, 5-5 on aggregate, but Casillas was decisive to deny Sane.
Ronaldo made history, becoming the top all-time UEFA club competition scorer with 78 goals, but the Bernabeu crowd jeered loudly at the final whistle.
It wasn’t exactly impressive or morale-boosting, but Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid still went through 5-4 on aggregate.
In the other tie, Porto made short work of Basel after a 1-1 first leg draw in Switzerland.
The hosts emerged 4-0 winners thanks to spectacular free kicks from Yacine Brahimi and Casemiro, sandwiched around Hector Herrera’s curler.
Vincent Aboubakar finished off the rout with a screamer from 20 metres into the top corner.
Ex-Inter defender Walter Samuel was sent off for a second bookable offence deep into stoppages.