In
the hat: Didier Drogba (right) and Felipe Melo rejoice at the final
whistle (above) before the duo are joined by Wesley Sneijder and Gokhan
Zan (below)
.
The Super Lig leaders were looking to bounce back from an embarrassing home defeat to Genclerbirligi in their
No mistake: Roman Neustaedter keeps his head in a crowded Galatasaray penalty box to give Schalke the lead
On target: Roman Neustaedter
Remember me? Hamit Altintop lets fly from 30 yards to level matters on the night against his former club
And
five minutes later, Gala had taken the lead when Burak shrugged off the
challenge of Benedikt Howedes and lifted over Hildebrand for his eighth
Champions League goal in as many games.
Nifty
finish: Burak Yilmaz hits his eighth strike of this season's Champions
League, tapping the ball past Schalke keeper Timo Hildebrand
Nifty
finish: Burak Yilmaz hits his eighth strike of this season's Champions
League, tapping the ball past Schalke keeper Timo Hildebrand
The Gala goalkeeper was at fault, however, when Michel Bastos levelled in the 63rd minute.
Going down: Drogba turns his ankle while celebrating with Yilmaz, prompting Melo to check up on his team-mate (below)
Gala
then had to make a change as defender Semih Kaya was carried off the
pitch having been knocked out although that did not seem to affect the
Istanbul side, who held firm in spite of some probing pressure from
Schalke.
However,
the hosts left themselves wide open to the counter in search of a
winner and it was Gala who stole up the other end to make sure of their
progress to the quarter-final.
Back in the hunt: Michel Bastos sidefoots home to give Schalke hope of progression
Substitute
Umut beat the offside trap in the fifth minute of injury time and beat
Hildebrand at the second attempt to send the visitors wild with joy.
Late
drama: With Schalke pushing for a winner, Galatasaray broke with Umut
Bulut hitting the winner to spark wild celebrations among the Turkish
team (below)
Magical: Lionel Messi celebrates after vanquishing Milan's first leg advantage
Ecstasy: Gerard Pique roars with delight after Messi's second put the teams level on aggregate
Poise: Messi bent the ball home from the edge of the box to get the scoring underway
Great start: Before long Barcelona, thanks to Messi, had wiped out Milan's first leg advantage
Under siege: Abbiati pummels the ball away as Barcelona turned up the pressure
Company: Messi is surrounded by Milan players but still manages to find a way to score
At the double: Messi's second goal squeezes past Abbiati's outstretched left arm
The
remontada was complete. It had been a horrid and sobering experience
for Milan, whose fans were hushed in their Nou Camp eyrie. A member of
Europe’s traditional elite, they will have hated being so publicly
mastered.
The
way Barcelona began the match was, quite literally, stunning. Neutrals
who had been so impressed with Milan in the first leg were stunned.
Milan were stunned. Even the home support, whipped into a frenzy of
noise and excitement, seemed unusually affected by the ferocity with
which their team attacked the game.
Good Italian teams are always strong defensively. Barcelona’s nil in the San Siro was as important as Milan’s two.
Pulling the strings: Xavi (left) was at his influential best as Barcelona dominated possession
Shackled... or not: Milan tried to keep Messi under wraps but failed miserably
Easy does it: Villa steers home the third with panache
Watching on: Jordi Roura takes care of Barcelona in the absence of Tito Vilanova
In tatters: Abbiati rages as Villa and Co celebrate their third goal of the night
Perfect show: Villa celebrates in front of Barcelona's delighted fans after his superbly taken goal
Spotted: Ronnie Wood (of Rolling Stones fame) was seen in the crowd with wife Sally
We're a team! Barcelona fans' message of unity for their players ahead of the clash
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