Schalke’s goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther stops a ball during their UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg  match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid Tuesday. — AFP

 

PARIS — Footballer of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo helped himself to one goalscoring record and equaled another as holder Real Madrid booked its place in the Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday.



Ronaldo is now the all-time leading goalscorer in European competition after two goals in the upset 4-3 defeat against Schalke took his total to 78, surpassing the previous record held by another former Real stalwart, Raul.



But, perhaps more importantly for his intense rivalry with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Ronaldo equaled the Argentine’s Champions League record of 75.



And there was more than a touch of irony that the record-breaking goals should have come against Schalke, the club where Raul ended his playing days after being deemed surplus to requirements in Spain.



Real’s 2-0 win in the first leg in Gelsenkichen saw it squeeze into the last eight 5-4 on aggregate.



Also through to the last eight is FC Porto, which advanced at the expense of Swiss club Basel, 5-1 on aggregate and 4-0 on the night.



Ronaldo scored twice for Real in the first half, his header in the 25th minute from a corner by Tony Kroos cancelling out an opener for the Germans by Christian Fuchs five minutes earlier.



That equaled Raul’s record of 77, and then, after Klaas Jan Huntelaar had restored Schalke’s lead, Ronaldo equalized for a second time with another header just before the break, with his 78th European goal in all.



Ronaldo, 30, who collected his third Ballon d’Or in January, just seems to go from strength to strength.



Last year he led Real Madrid to its 10th European Champions title, but its first in 12 years, smashing Messi’s record of 15 Champions League goals in a single season with 17 in just 11 appearances along the way.



This season, he has already netted 30 times in the league and eight times in the Champions League, matching Messi goal for goal.



It also means he has now scored 60 times in 59 Champions League appearances for Real. But he still ended up on the losing side on the night.



Early in the second half, Karim Benzema put the host in front but Schalke earned a fully-deserved win thanks to further strikes from Leroy Sande and Huntelaar. Real had come into the game unbeaten in 21 Champions League games at the Bernabeu, but that record was under threat from the off in a wretched performance that was only salvaged by Ronaldo’s prediatory instincts.



“It is clear I feel very sorry because everyone has seen we played very badly. This is not good for the image of the club,” said Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti after a fifth defeat in 15 games this year.



“It is normal that the players lack confidence. I think we have dipped a bit physically too. We had problems in every aspect of the game: offensive; defensive; desire; fight and concentration.”



Schalke boss Roberto di Matteo, meanwhile, was left with the bittersweet feeling of having pulled off a stunning victory but still being eliminated.



In Oporto, FC Porto remained unbeaten in the Champions League this season and qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 as it defeated Swiss side Basel 5-1 on aggregate.



Goals from Yacine Brahimi, Hector Herrera, Casemiro and Vincent Aboubakar, combined for a 4-0 win at the Estadio do Dragao, and continued Basel’s poor form in Portugal as its coach Paulo Sousa endured a miserable return to his homeland.



The first leg had finished 1-1 three weeks ago in Switzerland. Porto coach Julen Lopetegui said he was both happy and proud at his side’s passage into the last eight. — AFP