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Real Madrid put their recent European woes behind them to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2004 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Lyon on Wednesday. Real Madrid had crashed out at the last 16 stage of the Champions League for six successive seasons, but new coach Jose Mourinho brought an end to that jinx. Goals from Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria secured victory as Madrid progressed 4-1 on aggregate. Brazilian full-back Marcelo scored his first Champions League goal on 37 minutes to break the deadlock, before Benzema netted his sixth goal of the competition on 65 minutes against his hometown club. Argentine Angel di Maria added a third on 76 minutes as Real took revenge on Lyon, who defeated them at this stage last season, and keep alive their hopes of a first Champions League title since 2002. Mourinho, who won the trophy with Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu last season, is looking to provide Real with their 10th European Cup and make history by becoming the first manager to win the Champions League with three different clubs. "We did what the manager wanted and went out to win the game," said Marcelo. "This victory gives us a lot of confidence and we owed it to the Madrid fans. We are not thinking about who we could get in the next round. We will just wait for the draw and see." Real welcomed back top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo from injury -- the Portuguese star having missed the last two league games with a thigh problem and the world's most expensive player was thrust into the starting line-up.

Lyon had never lost in their three Champions League trips to the Bernabeu but the French visitors knew they would have to score in the Spanish capital after the 1-1 draw in the first leg. Lyon welcomed back striker Lisandro Lopez and Brazilian captain Cris shrugged off a knock to start. Ronaldo tried his luck with a long range free-kick early on but his effort sailed over the crossbar. With four minutes gone Real almost scored but goalkeeper Hugo Lloris raced out to thwart German international Mesut Ozil, who had timed his run to perfection. On 21 minutes Madrid got a real scare when Argentine Cesar Delgado curled a shot towards the bottom-right corner but goalkeeper Iker Casillas got down to palm away. Real responded by upping their game and took the lead on 37 minutes thanks to a fine individual goal from Marcelo. The Brazilian exchanged passes with Ronaldo before surging into the area, cutting back onto his left foot and firing in a shot that deflected off Lloris on its way in. The relief was tangible and Benzema, in fine form with six goals in his last three league outings, was denied by Lloris four minutes later after latching onto a Marcelo cross. Benzema had the ball in the net 60 seconds later with a fine header but was flagged offside. Coach Claude Puel threw on striker Bafetimbi Gomis to give his side more firepower, but it was the hosts who looked the more dangerous, especially from set-pieces. Benzema had a penalty appeal turned down on 63 minutes but shrugged off the disappointment to score three minutes later. A defensive mix-up allowed Benzema a free run on goal and the Frenchman slotted home for his sixth goal in the competition this term.Lyon sensed the game was up and winger Angel di Maria went clean through on goal in the 76th minute before producing a neat chipped finish to complete the scoring.

League leaders Barcelona look for a third league win in a week as they host strugglers Real Zaragoza at Camp Nou today. Barceona needed a late goal from top-scorer Lionel Messi, who has 27 league goals, to seal a vital 1-0 win at Valencia on Wednesday and the champions are keen to maintain their seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid. Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said ‘The Valencia win was a very important result. Points like these are what could win us the title.’ ‘There are still some difficult games to play. There’s a lot at stake. But we’re optimistic. We are pleased with the team dynamic, the way we’re playing and the attitude.’ Xavi returned from a calf injury against Valencia but Barcelona are still without goalkeeper Victor Valdes and captain Carles Puyol who are both doubtful for next Tuesday’s Champions League second leg at home to Arsenal. After difficult away matches at Real Mallorca and Valencia, Barcelona will be glad to be back at home although Zaragoza, two points above the relegation zone, are on a high after a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday. Real Madrid closed back to within seven points of Barcelona with an emphatic 7-0 home win over Malaga on Thursday to maintain their 100 per cent home record. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Madrid’s biggest win of the season and coach Jose Mourinho will hope his side can now improve on their erratic away form – they have dropped 14 points on the road – in Sunday’s trip to Racing Santander. Racing are unbeaten in their last five league outings under new coach Marcelino and they have only lost twice at home this season. Elsewhere, Valencia are at Real Mallorca as they battle to hold onto third and the final automatic Champions League place.

The 1-0 defeat to Barcelona was their first in the league in 2011 and Villarreal are now just a point behind in fourth.‘We are hurting after the Barcelona defeat but we competed with the best team in the world,’ said Valencia coach Emery. Villarreal closed to within one point of  Valencia and hope to stay on their heels with a win at Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Villarreal have been poor on their travels with just four away wins and Atletico Madrid will be full of motivation having moved to within three points of the top six. ‘It is a special game because there is a really good atmosphere at the (Vincente) Calderon,’ said Villarreal midfielder Borja Valero. European rivals Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla lock horns at San Mames on Sunday as the race for the European places hots up. Bilbao have lost their last four matches but are clinging to sixth place with Sevilla level on 38 points.‘When you can’t win you have to at least get a point,’ said Bilbao midfielder Carlos Gurpegui. ‘When you lose everything looks bad. Sunday is a huge game for us against a direct rival. We are in a good position in the league but we have to try and win against Sevilla.’Down at the bottom relegation rivals Hercules and Almeria face off on Saturday in a crucial six-pointer.‘Not scoring goals is certainly complicating things for us at the moment,’ said Hercules coach Esteban Vigo. Hercules have failed to score in their last three outings and are one point above the relegation zone, while Almeria prop up the 20-strong table.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick to make it 27 league goals for the season as Real Madrid crushed hapless Malaga 7-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to seven points. Ronaldo had gone four games in all competitions without a goal - a drought by his high standards - but the Portuguese star hit the goal trail as Real ran riot. First half goals from French forward Karim Benzema, Argentine winger Angel di Maria and Brazilian full back Marcelo put Real Madrid into a commanding first half lead before Ronaldo took center stage in the second half to give Manuel Pellegrini a horrid return to the Bernabeu.Malaga coach Pellegrini guided Real to a record 96 points in the league last season only to be sacked after one season to pave the way for Mourinho's arrival.

Benzema started the match ahead of Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor and repaid the faith by opening the scoring on 27 minutes.Xabi Alonso delivered a free-kick into the box and Malaga defended it poorly allowing Benzema to stay onside and the Frenchman used the outside of his right boot to steer a volley into the roof of the net.Benzema had a second goal ruled out for offside minutes later after Mesut Ozil had crashed a left-footed free-kick off the post. Real Madrid were looking menacing and scored again on 35 minutes as Malaga were blitzed on the counter attack. The visitors were attacking with a corner but Real Madrid cleared and launched a speedy attack and some woeful defending allowed Angel di Maria to run clean though on goal. The Argentine showed good composure to side-foot home and then played a key role in the third goal on the stroke of half-time.

Angel Di Maria floated a neat pass to Marcelo and the Brazilian thundered a left-footed volley into the corner as Real Madrid went in 3-0 at the break.The second half belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's most expensive player bagged a 26-minute hat-trick.Ronaldo opened his account in the 50th minute and added his second from the penalty spot on 67 minutes with an emphatic spot-kick. The Portuguese star completed his hattrick nine minutes later after a good pass from substitute Sergio Canales and joins Barcelona's Lionel Messi at the top of the goalscoring charts on 27 goals. Benzema grabbed his second on 61 minutes and could have had a hat-trick himself, while Cristiano Ronaldo could have scored six or seven against a poor Malaga who stay second from bottom three points from safety. Earlier Almeria stay rooted to the bottom of the Spanish first division after a 1-1 home draw with 10-man Racing Santander on Thursday.

Bafetimbi Gomis struck a late equaliser as Lyon recovered from Karim Benzema's opener to draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League first leg.Gomis wasted a glorious chance to put the hosts ahead 1st hulf and Cristiano Ronaldo shot on the post with a free-kick just after the break. And after Sergio Ramos headed on to the bar post former Lyon striker Benzema slotted in, moments after coming off the bench. But there was still time for Gomis to level it with a close-range volley. It provided a dramatic finale to a tense encounter and makes for a hugely interesting 2nd leg at Bernabeu on 16 March. Real Madrid will be confident of reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2004 but Lyon are still in contention to make the last four for the second season running. Ahead of the game, Real coach Jose Mourinho stressed that "history doesn't count for anything in this sort of match" and it was easy to see why. His club had not won any of their previous six match with Lyon and were beaten - failing to even score - on each of their three visits to Stade Gerland.

Real have been knocked out at this stage for the last six years and it was Lyon who sent them packing last season. So, even considering the Reals' stature and serene progress through the group stage, it was difficultly a surprise to see Lyon boss Claude Puel's side looking the more assured in the opening exchanges. The French outfit were missing star striker Lisandro Lopez because of a hamstring injury but lone frontman Gomis carried a original threat and was ably supported but Michel Bastos, Cesar Delgado and Yoann Gourcuff. The hosts immediately sought to got forward in numbers and served notice of their threat as Bastos and Gomis both got behind the visiting defence for early sights of goal. Centre-back Cris then fired narrowly wide with an overhead kick from the edge of the box and Kim Kallstrom drilled a shot off target.

Real eventually settled into some sort of rhythm but encountered two brilliantly organised banks of four and had to resort to attempts from distance. Angel di Maria created their first wonderful chance with a skidding effort that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris gathered at the second attempt before Ronaldo's 30-yard free-kick was palmed to safety after bouncing awkwardly in front of the Lyon keeper. Puel's players began adopting a more cautious approach and rather than encamping themselves in their opponents' half, focused instead on hitting the Real,s on the counter-attack. And they should have been rewarded when Real keeper Iker Casillas spilled a Bastos cross from the left at the feet of Gomis, only for the Frenchman to fire over the bar.

If Lyon finished the 1st half on top, it was the visitors who made by far the better start to the  2nd hulf. And they almost took the lead when Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick, from a narrow angle on the left, bent over the wall and come back off the far upright. Moments later Real were again denied by the woodwork when Ramos rose highest to meet Mesut Ozil's corner, his glanced header going away off the bar. But it would be 3rd time opportunity after Mourinho  hoping to becoming the first manager to win European club football's most prestigious competition with three different clubs brought Benzema on for the ineffective Emmanuel Adebayor.  Benzema had been on the field only a matter of seconds when he won possession on the left and linked up with Ronaldo before linking his way past several defenders and beating Lloris with a low strike. Puel urged his side to push forward in search of an instant response but Real repelled everything thrown at them and seemed on course for a historic win. Lyon, however, had other ideas and with seven minutes of normal time remaining Cris nodded a free-kick into the path of an unmarked Gomis and he stayed calm to atone for his earlier miss.

If Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to lay down markers ahead of the Barcelona v Real Madrid showdown at the Camp Nou on Monday, scoring hat-tricks in their final La Liga games before El Clasico was a typically sublime way to go about it.

Messi and Ronaldo are the two best players on the planet right now. They play weekly at a level most can only dream of, consistently overshadowing the abundance of world-class players who line up as their team-mates and opponents alike, reports BBC sports.

They are the last two winners of the Fifa World Footballer of the Year award and, despite being far from stereotypical centre-forwards in a positional sense, have each won a European Golden Shoe prize in the last three years.

They have scored 27 La Liga goals between them already this term - four more than the next top scorers in the division, Villarreal.

"What more can you say about Messi?" asked Barca colleague and Spain's World Cup-winning goalscorer Andres Iniesta in the aftermath of Messi's eighth treble for the Catalan club, in an 8-0 destruction of Almeria last weekend. "There are no words left. Let's hope he continues as he is."

After firing in three more goals in Real's 5-1 drubbing of Athletic Bilbao on the same day to stay one clear of his rival in the race for the Pichichi (Spain's top goalscorer), Ronaldo preferred to do his own talking: "I'm very happy for scoring three goals, but the important thing is that we continue being leaders. Barcelona's 8-0 win at Almeria doesn't tell me anything, Let's see if they score eight goals against us on Monday."

Monday is the day when Spain's top two meet for the first time this season, with Real Madrid a single point ahead of Barcelona in the standings.

It is a game customarily filled with intrigue and the pre-match phoney war will be taken to new levels this time around with Barca's arch-nemesis Jose Mourinho overseeing his first Clasico in charge of Real.

But when the talking stops and referee Eduaro Gonzalez blows his whistle at 2000 GMT, the focus will then centre around Messi and Ronaldo - the two proxy leaders of their teams, the men who are almost certain to have the greatest impact on the result and, longer term, the destiny of the Spanish title.

So much has been written about them both before, these two fascinatingly contrary figures: Messi, the shy, formerly-fragile boy from Argentina who packed his bags aged 13 and put himself in Barcelona's care; and Ronaldo, the perma-tanned Portuguese with the perfect physique and arrogance to match his £80m attributes.

Perhaps it is because they are so unique, as far removed from each other as they are from the mere mortals who seek to attain their greatness, that they are so open to comparison.

It is a point Noe Pamarot made to me when I asked the well-travelled Hercules defender to compare two players he has done battle with in La Liga in the past three months.

"The stats are amazing for both of them, it is incredible how many goals they score," said Pamarot, who also played against Ronaldo six times during a five-year spell in English football playing for Tottenham and Portsmouth.

"But they don't play anything like each other. They have both got the speed and the skills, but for me, Messi plays only for the team and that makes him a more dangerous opponent. He isn't always looking to score himself - if he isn't scoring, he is making an assist or having a big influence on the game anyway.

"They are comfortably the world's best right now. But Messi is very, very special. He is starting to prove weekly he is on a different level to everyone else. Can he be the greatest of all time? If he carries on like this for some more years, he can end up the same or even better than Diego Maradona and Pele. Why not?"

Pamarot's thoughts cast my mind back to a study of the pair conducted by the University of Coruna in Spain in April. It found that more than 80% of Barcelona's passing moves involved Messi, compared to 60% with Ronaldo and Madrid. When Messi gets the ball, his only thought is getting it into the back of his opponents' net; when Ronaldo picks it up, his is to put it there himself.

At a time when the fluid passing and movement style of Spain and Barcelona is fashionable and everyone wants to watch tiki-taka, Ronaldo's fearsome power and single-minded selfishness when he is within sight of goal is, to some, considered an inferior alternative, aesthetically-speaking anyway.

Another player who has been on the receiving end of the genius of Messi and Ronaldo is Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora. The 29-year-old played against Ronaldo five times in his three-year stint with Spurs and was in the Sevilla team that suffered a 5-0 defeat at Barcelona a month ago in which Messi scored twice.

"The two of them are very good, for sure, but I prefer Messi," said Zokora. "Messi is perfect in the art of dribbling, while Ronaldo's shot is incredible. It is very difficult to stop them, they are very, very fast. Could one of them go on and be the greatest? It is difficult to say it, but maybe..."

For now, it is far easier to let the numbers do the talking. Courtesy of Infostrada Sports, here are the pair's breathtaking goal tallies in black and white:

Lionel Messi:

- 22 goals in 17 games for Barcelona this season
- 54 goals in 48 games for Barcelona in 2010
- Has scored in nine consecutive games for Barca
- In last five seasons (this season last), has scored: 17, 16, 38, 47, 22

Cristiano Ronaldo:

- 16 goals in 18 games for Real Madrid this season
- 38 goals in 42 games for Real Madrid in 2010
- Has scored 14 goals in 12 La Liga games this term
- In last five seasons (first three with Man Utd), has scored: 23, 42, 26, 33, 18

Chalk and cheese they may well be, but in the prolific way they find the net these men - who rarely play as out-and-out strikers - do at least have something in common. And according to the University of Coruna's study, that's not all. They also believe Messi and Ronaldo to be the two fastest players in the history of the game in terms of running with the ball.

So who do you pity more ahead of the game the whole footballing world will be watching, the Barcelona backline or the Real Madrid rearguard? I asked Pamarot who it is easier to play against, and he laughed down the telephone at me. "Haha. Seriously? OK, I want to play against both because they are the ultimate test of your abilities."

Plaudits from pundits and their peers have not been in short supply as the build-up to the most talked-about domestic fixture on Earth grows ever closer. "It is clear to me, Cristiano is number one," said Mourinho.

After watching Barca and Messi rip apart his Panathinaikoas side in Europe on Wednesday, midfielder Luis Garcia purred: "Messi is a phenomenon. One can only enjoy his play. Such a player only comes by once in several decades."

Even the Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has got involved in the debate, claiming he prefers the "dribbles" of Messi to the playing style of Ronaldo, though his opinion should be taken with the caveat that the 50-year-old is a lifelong Barcelona fan.

On Monday, these two footballing phenomena go head-to-head before an expectant audience of about 98,000 people in Barcelona and tens of millions more on television around the world. They will both feel they have an extra point to prove, too: in seven games, Messi has never scored or had an assist against a Mourinho team; similarly in five, Ronaldo has never found the net against Barca.

With the likes of Maradona, Pele and Johan Cruyff all reaching the peak of their powers in different eras, perhaps we should be grateful that for this generation, the stars will collide in front of our very eyes.