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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.

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.