Dortmund, Real through to the semis

Borussia Dortmund scored two late goals to controversially knock out debutants Malaga and reach the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday while Real Madrid thwarted a valiant Galatasaray fightback to progress.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Borussia Dortmund scored two late goals to controversially knock out debutants Malaga and reach the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday while Real Madrid thwarted a valiant Galatasaray fightback to progress.

Dortmund looked to be down and out after an 82nd-minute goal from Eliseu put Malaga 2-1 up on the night and on aggregate even though he looked offside.

But the game ended in dramatic fashion as Marco Reus and Felipe Santana struck in stoppage time to send the 1997 European champions through to the last four with a 3-2 scoreline.

Santana’s goal was surrounded in controversy, however, with four Dortmund players appearing to be offside when the ball was crossed into the area while Santana himself looked offside when he poked the ball into the net to break Malaga’s hearts.

In the night’s other quarterfinal, Cristiano Ronaldo, top scorer in this season’s competition, scored twice to take his tally to 11 as Real went through 5-3 on aggregate despite losing a rip-roaring second leg 3-2 in Istanbul.

The tie seemed effectively over when Portugal forward Ronaldo stabbed the ball in from close range after seven minutes but Galatasaray, inspired by a typically noisy home crowd, refused to give in.

Emmanuel Eboue rifled home a blistering long-range shot after 57 minutes before Wesley Sneijder made up for missing an easy chance moments earlier by making it 2-1 to the Turkish side on the night.

Didier Drogba, Chelsea’s hero in last year’s final, then sent the home fans wild with delight when he nonchalantly back-heeled the third goal for Galatasaray in the 72nd minute.

Real substitute Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off in the closing stages but Ronaldo made sure his team’s hopes of becoming kings of Europe for the 10th time remained intact when he notched his second goal in stoppage time.

The last two quarterfinals will be completed on Wednesday when Juventus bid to overturn a 2-0 deficit at home to Bayern Munich and title favourites Barcelona take on Paris St Germain after the first leg in France ended in a 2-2 draw.

The semifinal draw is on Friday. Wembley will host the final for a record seventh time on May 25.

Agencies