Gareth Bale hopes for Champions League glory after Bayern crushed

Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to dismantle Bayern Munich in their own stadium, taking his club to a first Champions League final since 2002, and said that momentous nights such as these were the reason why he moved from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record £86m last summer.
Real won 4-0 at the Allianz Arena to advance 5-0 on aggregate and they will face either Chelsea or Atlético Madrid in the final in Lisbon. Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager, said he would be happy to face Chelsea, who sacked him in 2011 while José Mourinho, the Stamford Bridge manager, would surely like to face Real, from where he departed last summer.
It was the sheer force of Real's first-half performance against the defending champions that took the breath away, with Sergio Ramos heading two

Benzema gives Real a lead

Real Madrid took a step towards their first Champions League final in 12 years by beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Bernabeu thanks to a first-half goal by Karim Benzema.
Carlo Ancelotti's side must still survive another 90 minutes against the European champions, but head to the semi-final second leg in Munich with the added advantage of not conceding an away goal.
The visitors dominated possession but were unable to

Cristiano Ronaldo to have late fitness test on Wednesday before Bayern tie

Cristiano Ronaldo will undergo a fitness test on Wednesday morning to decide if he can take part in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu.
The Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said he was "confident" that the competition's top scorer would be available but insisted that they will not take any risks with his fitness. Gareth Bale is doubtful after having suffered with a bout of flu.
Ronaldo has missed the last four games, including the final of the Copa del Rey, through injury. The Portuguese had suffered a knee injury and then had hamstring problems. The club had been cautious about his prognosis, saying little publicly, and Ronaldo had also

Gareth Bale goal: I don't think I've seen anything like it, says Xabi Alonso

Carlo Ancelotti hailed Gareth Bale after the Welshman's late goal sunk Barcelona and gave Real Madrid the Copa del Rey for the 19th time in their history.
The Welshman galloped towards goal with five minutes remaining and had to swerve off the pitch to beat the Barcelona defender Marc Bartra before sliding the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto to secure a 2-1 win.
The goal came after Bartra had pulled Barcelona back into the game with a powerful header, which cancelled out Ángel di María's first-half opener. It was Bale's first match-winning goal since joining Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur last summer for a world-record fee.
"It was his most important goal, it was the most defining moment of the game," the manager Ancelotti said in the post-match press conference.
Xabi Alonso added: "The goal was incredible, I don't think I've seen anything like it. It looked like the ball was going out and he was under pressure, he ran off the pitch to keep it in, it was just amazing.
"Now we have the taste of victory. It was a really exciting game, with both sides playing at their best."

Ronaldo double completes Real Madrid's thrashing of Schalke

 

Real Madrid's young forward Jesé faces a lengthy period on the sidelines after rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee in Tuesday's Champions League win over Schalke.
The 21-year-old was knocked to the ground and landed awkwardly when he tangled with the Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac in the second minute of Real's 3-1 second-leg victory at the Bernabéu and had to be replaced by Gareth Bale.
"He has had bad luck