Real Madrid have one foot in the next round of the Champions League after a 6-1 win against Schalke 04 in the first leg of their last-16 match.
The first 10 minutes failed to produce a decent chance, but Madrid soon brought the game to life with the opening goal.
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Gareth Bale found Cristiano Ronaldo after making his way to the box. The Ballon d'Or winner flicked it on to Karim Benzema, who made no mistake to notch his 19th goal in all competitions this season.
Schalke came roaring back at their opponents, however, and should have equalised just a minute after Benzema's goal.
Julian Draxler's close-range header was somehow kept out by Iker Casillas, and then Maximilian Meyer blasted over from the rebound.
Bale extended Madrid's lead with 21 minutes played, as the Welshman beat three defenders before finishing into the bottom corner.
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The Spanish giants really should have made it 3-0 before the break, but Ronaldo's effort smashed off the inside of the post.
Jefferson Farfan then fired his effort high over the bar in what was a rare attack for the hosts.
Despite their best efforts, the Bundesliga side were unable to deal with the skill and precision of Ronaldo, who made it three early in the second half with a finish into the bottom corner for his 10th goal in six Champions League games.
With their confidence sky high, Los Blancos grabbed their fourth of the match with just under an hour played. Benzema combined with Ronaldo before rolling his effort into the bottom corner.
They continued to push for more goals and were rewarded for their attacking play when Bale scored his second of the evening with a curling shot.
Ronaldo added to Schalke's misery with a tap-in after rounding the goalkeeper, but the home side did grab a late consolation through Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's volley.
Gary Peters
