Marcelo fears no one as Real Madrid reach Champions League semi-finals again

19 April 2017 09:54

Marcelo insists he is not fussed who Real Madrid get in the Champions League semi-finals after overcoming a "very strong" Bayern Munich side on Tuesday.

The Brazil full-back put in a sterling performance on his 400th appearance for Madrid as the LaLiga leaders ran out 4-2 winners after extra time at the Bernabeu for a 6-3 aggregate victory.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, adding to his double in Munich, with Marcelo setting up the forward's third with a superb solo run through the Bayern defence.

Los Blancos joined city rivals Atletico Madrid in the last four while Barcelona could add to the Spanish semi-final contingent if they overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Juventus on Wednesday.

Monaco and Borussia Dortmund will contest the other quarter-final tie but Marcelo holds no fear as Real chase down a third Champions League title in four seasons.

"I have no preference in the draw, we are in good form," Marcelo told Real Madrid's official website.

"We are tired, but happy. We worked hard on the physical side and in the end it turned out well, I was able to contribute in the third goal and help the team.

"The important thing was to get through to the next round against a great team, very strong. Now we want more."

Robert Lewandowski had put the Germans ahead on the night from the penalty spot but a diving header from Ronaldo with 14 minutes left looked to have been enough to send the Spanish side through.

However, a bizarre own goal from Real captain Sergio Ramos levelled things up at 3-3 overall before Bayern saw midfielder Arturo Vidal sent off late on and they went into extra time with 10 men.

Ronaldo grabbed his second of the match in the 105th minute - which saw the forward become the first player to score 100 Champions League goals - and completed his hat-trick four minutes later.

A fourth on the break from substitute Marco Asensio in the 112th minute ensured Real would reach their seventh successive Champions League semi-final.

Next up for Real is El Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday with Zinedine Zidane's side three points ahead of the Catalan giants in the LaLiga table with a game in hand.

Real boss Zidane said: "We played 120 minutes and in the end some players have finished a bit worse for wear.

"We have now got five days to recover and rest. We are happy with the victory and we will recover quickly. The effort was tremendous."

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer suffered a fractured left foot as Ronaldo completed his hat-trick but no time frame has yet been put on his recovery.

Bayern captain Philipp Lahm, who is retiring in the summer, made the last Champions League appearance of an illustrious career and praised the effort of his team-mates.

Speaking to his club's official website, the World Cup-winner said: "The team were brave, they wanted to win, they absolutely wanted to advance to the next round.

"We were lucky in some situations, but also a bit unlucky in terms of refereeing decisions.

"We drew the tie on aggregate and took the match into extra time, and the team would have deserved to progress, but all that doesn't matter now."

Source: PA