Real Madrid Ease to Victory Over Galatasaray as Malaga Hold Dortmund

Real Madrid moved one step closer to a place in the Champions League semi-finals after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Galatasaray that saw the Turkish side completely outclassed at the Santiago Bernebeu.

Galatasaray found it virtually impossible to cope with Madrid's attacking prowess and were behind inside 10 minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo latched onto a through ball from Mesut Ozil and calmly chipped the ball over the advancing Fernando Muslera.

This was Ronaldo's ninth goal of the competition, moving him ahead of Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz and Barcelona star Lionel Messi, to move outright as the top scorer in this season's Champions League.

Galatasaray attempted to respond but tame efforts from Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder did little to unsettle Madrid's goalkeeper Sergio Lopez who would certainly have expected a tougher nights' work.

On 29 minutes Madrid doubled their lead after Michael Essien's cross found Karim Benzema at the backpost. The French striker expertly collected the ball and fired home to score his 30th goal in just 50 Champions League matches.

Jose Mourinho would surely have expected a threat from Drogba and Yilmaz but neither forward was able to produce a clear cut opportunity and it was the defensive pairing of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane that came out on top.

Varane, still just 19-years-old, excelled once again and proved that he can stand up on the biggest stage despite his relative lack of experience.

With Galatasaray struggling to amount a serious attack, it was no surprise when second half substitute Gonzalo Higuain headed home Xabi Alonso's 73rd minute free-kick to round off the scoring.

The Argentine was left relatively unmarked as he thumped his header past a helpless Muslera to give Madrid a huge advantage going into the second leg in Istanbul next week.

Despite the comfortable victory, Ramos is fully aware of the threat Galatasaray still possess and has warned his teammates against complacency.

"I'm really happy with the outcome of tonight's game; a 3-0 win leaves us satisfied. It was a match we played in a very serious manner. We looked to come out of the blocks and go for the game from the first minute. We also managed not to concede which means we can go to Turkey in an even more assured frame of mind," Ramos told the official website of the Champions League.

"We cannot take our passage through for granted, however, as that would be disrespectful. We know it will be a tricky stage to play on over there. They have a very important advantage playing at home and it is represented by their fans who will be fully behind the players on despite tonight's result."

In the other quarter-final, also being played in Spain, there was another positive performance from the surprise package of this season's Champions League as Malaga secured a 0-0 draw with German champions Borussia Dortmund.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been in fantastic form in Europe this season but were unable to convert their chances as Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero put in an outstanding performance to keep the Spanish side in the tie.

Dortmund were on top throughout and played with great pace on the counter as they carved out numerous opportunities to take the lead. Star midfielder Mario Gotze, who was sensational on the night, was twice denied in the first half by Caballero but will feel he should have done better.

Malaga were forced to take a more cautious approach in the second half that saw them drop deeper and allow Dortmund to have more of the ball. While they appeared to invite pressure the defenders performed admirably and there is still everything to play for in the second leg.

Talented Spanish midfielder Isco had the best chance for the home side when he smashed a shot through a crowd of players on 66 minutes but Dortmund keeper, Roman Weidenfellar, was able to punch the ball away to safety.

"Let's hope it's all going to be worth something in a week's time," said Cabellero. "We have a week to keep studying them and hopefully we can get a result over there."