If Galatasaray's chances were less than slim before kick off then surely progression was completely out of reach just 9 minutes into the second leg courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo... who else?
After a fairly bright start from the Turkish side, it took a single spark of brilliance from Real Madrid to get them in front. A great ball across the box from Sami Khedira was met by a deft flick of the foot from Ronaldo. There were complaints from the Galatasaray players, claiming the goal was scored from an offside position, but Ronaldo appeared to be behind the ball as it was played.
With the first goal, so went the electric atmosphere of the first few minutes. Needing 5 goals to reach the semi finals, you would forgive the fans for thinking it was all over and done with. And it was almost put even further out of Galatasaray's reach when Ronaldo skilfully flicked a ball into the path of Angel Di Maria, who was unable to direct it over the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
The home side continued to push on and Eboue was able to make good progress in the wide areas but without the killer instinct he needed to really make an impact. An effort from Wesley Sneijder saw Diego Lopez called into action in what was a fairly stationary half for him, but there was no real conviction in the shot which was easily collected.
Unable to make much of an impact upon the game, the Turkish side began to lose their discipline, seeing Eboue and Sneijder pick up yellow cards. There was a lot of huffing and puffing from Galatasaray but Madrid met them every step of the way with careful resistance.
Continuing the second half as they had the first, Real were just doing enough to be comfortable rather than trying anything spectacular. The pace of the game was slowing down and it looked as though Madrid were going to cruise to an easy victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo had the perfect chance to increase the aggregate score to 5 goals to nil with a perfectly placed ball form the wide area. For once Ronaldo's feet weren't in the right place and the ball bobbled wide of the far post.
While Madrid rued their chance at one end, Galatasaray were busy at the other. A ball missed by all the Real Madrid defenders, who were sucked into the six yard box, was picked up by Emmanuel Eboue and thumped home.
The Türk Telecom Arena was suddenly abuzz with noise and the impact on the Turkish side was clear to see as they scored a further two goals at 71 and 72 minutes. A beautifully taken pass saw Sneijder touch the ball past the Real defence and pass it into the back of the net. A minute later Didier Drogba saw the impossible become possible with a cheeky back heel. Two experienced players showing why their wealth of Champions League experience really pays off.
With 20 minutes left, two goals to score and the momentum in Galatasaray's favour anything could happen. It was all Galatasaray but the only final ball they could find was adjudged as offside from Didier Drogba.
Madrid were able to calm any last minute panic with a perfect cutback from Karim Benzema met in emphatic fashion by Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring his 20th goal in his last 17 Champions League appearances.
Although Galatasaray won the game 3-2, first gear was enough to see Madrid and Mourinho continue their campaign for glory. The Turkish side can feel proud of their efforts, but much like the situation of Arsenal in the previous round, the first leg gave them just too much work to do.
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