Real Madrid booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Atalanta on Tuesday thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio.
With a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Benzema eased any nerves for Madrid when he swept home in the first half following a mistake by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
Madrid were awarded a penalty after the break when Vinicius Junior was clumsily fouled by Rafael Toloi and Ramos emphatically buried the resulting spot-kick.
Atalanta pulled a late goal back with a free-kick from Luis Muriel, but Asensio ensured there was no drama with goal on the counterattack.
Relatedly, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan scored excellent first-half goals as Manchester City beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 to book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Back at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, which also hosted Gladbach’s initial ‘home’ leg, City repeated the scoreline from the first encounter to seal a 4-0 aggregate triumph.
De Bruyne scored City’s 100th goal of the season with a venomous left-footed strike and Ilkay Gundogan followed that forcefulness with some finesse shortly afterwards.
Gladbach, now winless in nine matches under outgoing head coach Marco Rose, continued to be summarily outplayed by a City side showing their best form for a few weeks to stay in the hunt for four major honours
Yann Sommer was alert to keep out Phil Foden’s stabbed volley from Joao Cancelo’s chipped sixth-minute pass, while opposite number Ederson tipped a deflected drive from Gladbach forward Breel Embolo behind.
That warning seemingly persuaded City to kick up a few gears and put the tie beyond doubt.
First De Bruyne let a 12th-minute pass from Riyad Mahrez run across his body to clatter home a 25-yard shot in via the crossbar.
Then, in the 18th minute, an exquisite turn and driving run from midfield by Foden teed up Gundogan – both the pass and the finish were coolly conceived and executed.
Sommer pushed over a dipping De Bruyne free-kick, although Embolo almost reduced the arrears before the break when he slid a shot wide having been played in by Marcus Thuram.
There was no let-up from City early in the second half, Mahrez clipping wide on the end of Gundogan’s pass having become the latest member of a rotating forward line to pop up in the number nine position.
Mahrez twice forced Sommer to beat away a left-footed strike from inside the area – the latter in the 69th-minute coming when a clever short-corner routine with Foden caught a bedraggled Gladbach napping.
It was a game of relentless endeavour but personal disappointment for Mahrez, who curled just wide with the final kick – one of five fruitless attempts on goal for the Algeria winger.
