Real Madrid all but booked their place in the Champions League semifinals with a 3-0 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in the home leg of their quarterfinal tie. Goals from Gareth Bale, Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo capped a match in which the Merengues were rarely tested. It'd take a calamitous collapse in Germany for Carlo Ancelotti's side to be eliminated now.
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund: Final score 3-0, Los Merengues cruise past BVB
Real Madrid almost certainly secured their Champions League progression with a 3-0 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in the home leg of their quarterfinal tie.
Dennis Grombkowski
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The game could've scarcely started worse for the visitors, whose defensive disintegration in just the third minute allowed Bale to sneak into the box and prod in Dani Carvajal's cross for the opening goal. It was the start of an opening few minutes of total Real Madrid domination, with Ronaldo twice forcing Roman Weidenfeller into diving stops inside the opening quarter of an hour.
Gradually Dortmund regained some composure, but were still chasing shadows when it came to pressing in the Madrid half. The hosts patiently worked the ball across their defense, looking to suck their visitors out of position and pounce with their devastating pace. Just short of the halfhour mark, they delivered the second blow. Isco danced into some space on the edge of the area, before gently stroking the ball beyond Weidenfeller and into the bottom corner.
Dortmund barely created a goal-scoring opportunity in the opening period, but managed to pull one out of nowhere within the first few minutes of the restart. Marco Reus threaded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through on goal, only for the striker to pull his shot across Iker Casillas and wide of the far post.
It was a miss for which they were made to pay, with Madrid adding a third shortly before the hour. Luka Modrić ghosted past the Dortmund midfield pivot and threaded a cutting pass through for Ronaldo, who made no mistake in the one-on-one. A goalline block from Pepe seconds later ensured that the Merengues maintained their three-goal cushion, as Dortmund’s hopes of progression faded into the Madrid drizzle.
Bale almost sealed his brace and completed the rout inside the final 10 minutes, though his excellent run culminated in a disappointing shot.
Real Madrid: Casillas; Coentrão, Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal; Alonso, Modrić; Ronaldo (Casmiro 80’), Isco (Illarramendi 72’), Bale; Benzema (Morata 75’).
Goals: Bale (3’), Isco (27’), Ronaldo (57’)
Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Durm, Hummels, Sokratis, Piszczek (Schieber 67’); Şahin, Kehl (Jojić 74’); Reus, Mkhitaryan (Hofmann 64’), Großkreutz; Aubameyang.
Goals: None.
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