Galatasaray wins a 3-2 consolation victory against Real Madrid

ISTANBUL

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Galatasaray. AFP photo

Galatasaray fell just short of achieving a football miracle in Istanbul’s Turk Telekom Arena tonight, beating Real Madrid 3-2 in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, which was not quite enough to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first game.
 
“Mission Impossible” became that bit harder for the Lions when Real Madrid took a 1-0 lead with a Ronaldo goal in the seventh minute. However the second half was another story, as Galatasaray began to lay siege on Diego Lopez's goal. Former Arsenal player Emmanuel Eboue reaped Galatasaray's first rewards, pulling a goal back in the 57th minute with a rocket from the edge of the area.
 
Dutch superstar Wesley Sneijder, who missed a clear goal chance in the 62th minute, redeemed himself 10 minutes later by chipping the ball into the Madrid net with surgical precision.

One minute later, it was Galatasaray’s other sensational mid-season transfer Didier Drogba’s turn to send the fans crazy, when the Ivorian legend deftly touched Nordin Amrabat’s pass into the net with the back of his heel.
 
Drogba appeared to have scored again second in the 81th minute, but was ruled offside by the referee. 

Arbeloa was then sent off for Real Madrid in the tense final minutes for a second yellow card, but it was Ronaldo again who would have the last word. His cool finish in stoppage time made the score 3-2, sending Los Blancos into the semifinals at the expense of the Turkish fans, who were still able to celebrate a prestigious victory despite the elimination.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund scored twice in added time to seal a dramatic 3-2 quarter-final, second-leg win at home to Malaga to reach the last four of the Champions League.

Malaga winger Joaquin had given the Spaniards an early away goal before Poland striker Robert Lewandowski's equaliser made it 1-1 at the break.

Second-half substitute Eliseu then looked to have put Malaga in the semis in their debut season in Europe's top club competiton with a goal eight minutes from time, before Dortmund produced two goals in two magical minutes.