Dortmund Edge out Malaga in Epic Clash as Madrid Fend off Gala Fight Back

Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid became the first sides to book their semi-final slots in the UEFA Champions League after picking up wins in matches that both ended 3-2.

Bundesliga outfit Dortmund edged out Malaga in a five-goal thriller that saw three goals scored in the last ten minutes at Borussia’s 80,000 capacity Signal-Iduna Park.

This was a winner takes all match but a scoring draw could have been enough to see Malaga through to the semis on away goals after the two teams mustered a barren draw in the first leg.

The two teams started on a tentative note but it was the hosts who first kicked into gear with Robert Lewandowski’s chip flying high and above the post.

The visitors would soon take the lead on the 25^th minute. Beastly Julio Baptista seized on a poor clearance from Felipe Santana before finding Isco who in turn fed Joaquin. The Spaniard controlled neatly outside the penalty area before releasing a low shot past Dortmund custodian Roman Weidenfeller to make it 1-0 and score a vital away goal.

The home team were stunned but not for long as Robert Lewandowski ensured parity was restored five minutes before the interval by finishing off a brilliant team move. The two teams traded punches after the interval but none found the back of the net, at least until the 82^nd minute, thanks in part to goalkeeping heroics from Weidenfeller in Dortmund goal and Willy Caballero on the opposite end.

At 1-1,Malaga were on the verge of getting into the last four and when they took the lead via Eliseu with 8 minutes to go, it was all over right? Wrong.

The beauty about football is the cliché that it’s never over until it is really over. Malaga found themselves on the wrong side of this reality as Dortmund rallied back with 2 goals in three minutes!! First, Marco Reus finally put one past Caballero after failing to on so many attempts.

Felipe Santana then redeemed himself by slotting in the winner from a goalmouth scramble to send the Westfalenstadion into a vociferous eruption as Jurgen Klopp's men completed one of the most remarkable, astounding, and superlatively fitting fight backs in Champions League history. The goal looked like it was scored from an offside position but so did Eliseu's.

At the Turk Telekom stadium in Turkey, home and travelling fans were treated to breathtaking goals from Ivorian duo Emmanuel Eboue and Didier Drogba as Galatasaray threatened to spoil Real Madrid’s semifinals party.

With Madrid holding a 3-0 first leg advantage, the Spaniards looked like they would cruise to yet another easy win when they went ahead in the 7^th minute through Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the Turkish unit rallied from behind first with Eboue leveling the scores with a thunderbolt from 30 yards. Then two Champions League old hands stepped up to the plate. Wesley Sneijder had been at the center of Gala’s intermittent threats in the game and he put his name on the scoresheet with a stunning strike in the 70^th minute.

Didier Drogba, a Champions League winner with Chelsea last season, then gave Galatasaray supporters a reason to believe two minutes later when he cleverly backheeled into the net to make it 3-1 to the Super Lig club. But with two goals needed to complete a remarkable comeback, the Aslan lost steam and Ronaldo switched off their hopes with a last minute goal. 3-2 to Galatasaray on the night but Madrid qualified for the semi finals with a 5-3 aggregate.

On Wednesday night, Paris Saint Germain travel to the Nou Camp to face Barcelona with the tie leveled at 2-2 while Bayern Munich take a 2-goal lead to Turin to face Juventus.

The draw for the Champions Leagu semi-finals as well as the Europa league will be conducted on Friday.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!