Roma eliminate Real Madrid from Champions League in last-16
Totti's side reached the last eight of the competition
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Wednesday, 05, Mar 2008 10:43
Roma have eliminated Real Madrid from the Champions League with a 2-1 win over the Spaniards at the Bernabeu in the second leg of their tie.
The Italian side won the last-16 encounter 4-2 on aggregate thanks to Rodrigo Taddei's header and an injury-time goal by Mirko Vucinic which ended Real's hopes of a comeback.
In a cagey first half there was little goalmouth action and the main threat to either goal came from long distance efforts by Alberto Aquilani for Roma, who hit the post, and Julio Baptista, who went close for Madrid.
Baptista struck the woodwork himself at the start of the second period as the game began to spark into life.
Real defender Pepe was sent off for a second bookable offence midway through the second half and that gave Roma the space they needed when Taddei headed home a free-kick two minutes later.
Raul scored to level things on the night and give the home side a chance to stay in the tie.
But when Vucinic latched on to Christian Panucci's free-kick with time running out the Italians had done enough to seal a place in the last eight of the competition.
The result piles pressure on to Madrid manager Berndt Schuster despite Real's five-point lead at the top of La Liga.
The night's other match was won by Schalke following a penalty shootout. Schalke took a 1-0 lead into the second leg but Lisandro Lopez levelled the tie midway through the second half.
With the tie at 1-1 after 90 minutes and the sides without an away goal extra-time was needed. The extra 30 minutes was also fruitless so penalties decided a quarter-final place for the second successive night.
Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was the hero, making two saves to give the German side a 4-1 win in the shootout.