By JOHN BOSCHINI
There were no surprises in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarterfinals as Real Madrid and Schalke used virtually insurmountable leads to carry them into the semifinals.
Tottenham's European dreams came to an end with a 1-0 defeat (5-0 on aggregate) to Real Madrid at White Heart Lane. Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of a Heurelho Gomes howler for the only goal of the game.
Knowing they needed to overcome a 4-0 deficit, Spurs came out firing early but penalty shouts from Gareth Bale and Roman Pavlyuchenko were waved off. The Russian international also wasted a brilliant chance midway through the first half when he put Aaron Lennon's cutback over the crossbar.
Tottenham thought it had taken the lead just before halftime when Bale scored from close-range but Luka Modric was whistled offside before heading the ball back to Bale.
The tie was put beyond all doubt when Ronaldo's 30-year shot was fumbled by Gomes. The Brazilian goalkeeper tried to dive back and prevent the ball from crossing the line but couldn't reach it in time.
Real Madrid advances to face arch-rival Barcelona in the semifinals. It sets up a thrilling 18-day period where Madrid and Barcelona face off four times starting with this Saturday's Clasico at the Bernabeu.
Raul continued to extend his record as the all-time leading scorer in Champions League play by opening the scoring in the 45th minute. Thiago Motta pulled one back for the Italians four minutes after the restart to give Inter a slight glimmer of hope.
However, Inter was unable to get a second goal and Schalke completed the rout when a blistering shot from Benedikt Howedes found the back of the net with nine minutes left to go.
Schalke, who is currently struggling mightily in domestic play, will face Manchester United in the semifinals.
Here are the highlights from both games.
Real Madrid 1, Tottenham Hotspur
Schalke 2, Inter Milan 1
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What did you think of both games? Excited for the marathon of Clasicos? Does Schalke stand a chance against high-flying United?
Share your thoughts below.
