Real Madrid secured their passage to the Champions League quarter-finals with a comfortable 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow.
Seydou Doumbia missed a glorious chance to give the visitors the lead inside 10 minutes as he fired over when clean through, but Real slowly started to take control of the game and deservedly took the lead as Gonzalo Higuain slotted home from Kaka's pull-back.
A howler from Sergei Chepchugov allowed the hosts to double their advantage as he spilled Cristiano Ronaldo's long-range shot into his own net 10 minutes after half-time and Karim Benzema slotted home the third at the second attempt with 20 minutes remaining.
Zoran Tosic got a consolation for CSKA with a wonderful strike five minutes later, but Ronaldo sealed the victory with a tap-in after an unselfish pass from Benzema in stoppage time.
The visitors started well and went close when Doumbia was played through by Alan Dzagoev but the Ivorian blazed over. Ronaldo then had Real's first effort on goal easily saved by Chepchugov. The opening goal arrived on 26 minutes when Sami Khedira's chipped ball found Kaka and his cut-back was rolled into the empty net by Higuain.
The second period started as the first ended with Madrid on the front foot and Chepchugov had to be alert to smother Ronaldo's effort after a wonderful through ball from Kaka. The only negative of the evening for the home side was to come moments later however as Xabi Alonso saw a yellow card that will keep him out of the first leg of the quarter-final.
Ronaldo then made it two on 55 minutes with a long-range effort that Chepchugov should have handled comfortably but instead only succeeded in fumbling into his own net.
The Russians nearly found a way back into the tie just after the hour as Dzagoev had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside call on substitute Sekou Oliseh, who had provided the cross and a minute later Doumbia passed up another clear chance as he rounded Casillas but his floated effort towards goal drifted wide.
Instead though it was Benzema who sealed the tie with 20 minutes remaining with only his second touch after replacing Higuain as he raced onto Mesut Ozil's pass and despite Chepchugov making a brave stop from his first effort, the rebound fell kindly for the Frenchman to slot home his fifth goal in Europe this season.
CSKA to their credit did not give in and got the goal their efforts deserved when Tosic turned inside Pepe and rocketed a shot in off the underside of the bar. However, Ronaldo was to have the final say as Pepe fed Benzema inside the area and he squared for the former Manchester United man to score his second of the evening.
Source: PA
