All England Championships: Chen Long & Carolina Marin win singles

World champion Chen Long of China beat Jan Jorgensen in the final of the All England Championship in Birmingham.

Chen defeated the Danish number two seed, the first European to reach the final since 2004, 25-21 21-17 21-15.
In the women's final, world champion Carolina Marin of Spain fought back from a set down to beat India's Saina Nehwal 16-21 21-14 21-7.
Nehwal, who led 6-1 and 10-6 in the second set, was looking to become the first Indian to win the title.
China's Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, the world and Olympic champions, beat defending champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia 21-10 21-10 in the mixed doubles

Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 20:37

  Arsenal had eight attempts on goal in that first half, Monaco just one. The hosts will be worried if the Gunners get a second...
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  Toby Goodman: Where was this Arsenal at Arsenal?

  Gabriel Counsell: Difficult to see how this Monaco team have such a good defensive record. Holes everywhere!

  Roberta-lyn Grant: If Arsenal manage to overcome this deficit and progress, I think they'll win the Champions League this year.

  Send us your views via #bbcfootball, on the BBC Sport Facebook page or via text on 81111 (UK only).
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  "Apart from the first 10 minutes when they looked a little nervous, Arsenal have played exceptionally well. I might bring Ramsey on for Ozil, allowing Cazorla to push on, have a free role and have an influence on this game.

  "But Arsenal have done everything right up to now. Start the second half the same way and they'll get another goal. And Monaco will get more and more nervous as the game goes on."

• Cherries on top

  Posted at 20:34

  Will we see Bournemouth in the Premier League next season? It looks very much that way.

  As half-time whistles continue to toot around the country it's the Cherries who are on top of the Championship table.

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  "Arsenal will be very hopeful indeed. They are by a country mile the better team here, and have created some very good chances as well as getting the goal. What an encouraging half from Arsenal. They have done the minimum they had to do. Now they need to crank things up in the second half."
• 
  

• HALF-TIME

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 20:32

  The whistle goes with the Gunners on song. Mesut Ozil swaps shirts with a Monaco defender as they come off - a lot of people won't like to see that...
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 45 mins

  Chance! Unlucky Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck drills a cross at him, like a shot, and Giroud gets a thigh to it but can only steer it at goalkeeper Danijel Subasic.

  Seconds later Welbeck has another shot from a tight angle. Arsenal ending the half well on top.
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  "Joao Moutinho was just fouled then, and went to ground clutching his face. Coquelin, who made the challenge, was nowhere near his face. I think the referee should have punished Moutinho. That's a yellow card for me, because that's as much simulation as a dive."
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 44 mins

  One nil up at Monaco at half-time? Arsene Wenger would have settled for that. Plenty of time to really go at it in the second half.
• at Stade Louis II for 5 live Sport

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  "I'm not convinced that was a penalty, but I'm not convinced it was a yellow card either. And the referee was in a good position.

  "At the moment, this game is set up in just the way we wanted. But is it all set up for glorious failure?"

• YELLOW CARD

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 42 mins

  Alexis Sanchez is booked for a dive - Arsenal want a penalty.

  The Chile forward does go down pretty easily but he was touched by Fabinho. He's furious, Sanchez. No penalty though.
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 41 mins

  Olivier Giroud may be getting more than a 2/10 from newspaper L'Equipe tomorrow. He's proving a menace to society up there. Arsenal need two goals in 50 minutes to progress.

  As gambles in Monte Carlo go, it's a pretty good one. The house always wins though - doesn't it?

• Join the debate at #bbcfootball

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  Joe Wedgwood: Yes Giroud! How's that to stick it to his critics! C'mon Arsenal!

  Nathan: Arsenal ahead, but I just can't see them keeping a clean sheet this match.

  Jerry Elumeze: Arsenal have lacked belief. Perhaps the goal will change that...

  Send us your views via #bbcfootball, on the BBC Sport Facebook page or via text on 81111 (UK only).
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 38 mins

  Arsenal flying now, confidence coursing through the side. The home crowd are calling for the half-time whistle. They've got minutes and minutes to hang on yet...

• CLOSE!

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at 38 mins

  Almost a second! Danny Welbeck middles a shot from the edge of the box, catches it as sweet as you could ever wish to hit a ball, it's flying in but hits defender Aymen Abdennour on the floor!
• Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2)

  Posted at

  

  "I like that from Giroud! He has been putting himself about tonight, working his socks off. That wasn't the most beautiful goal you've ever seen but such clever use of his physique. It was a really nice finish on the rebound, into the roof of the net.

  "We wanted that to happen, we wanted to see the question asked of Monaco. The hosts started well but have been second-best for the last 20 minutes. They are beginning to lose their shape, which I didn't expect to see."

• GOAL

  Monaco 0-1 Arsenal (Agg 3-2) - Olivier Giroud

  Posted at 36 mins

  

  Back of the net! It's a wonderful finish at the end of more scrappy play. Danny Welbeck sends Olivier Giroud in behind the Monaco backline, goalkeeper Danijel Subasic saves his first effort which spins up and hits Giroud on the head. He turns, steadies himself and then with two defenders on the line, fires into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

  He took it brilliantly.
• Monaco 0-0 Arsenal (Agg 3-1)

  Posted at 33 mins

  Monaco look a little bit unsure of how to approach this one - a goal for Arsenal would really kick this game up a notch. As it is it's all a bit scrappy.
• Monaco 0-0 Arsenal (Agg 3-1)

  Posted at

  

  "Dimitar Berbatov is languid. He's such a stylish player, and at the moment his attitude out there is good. But we've all seen games where his performances can best be described as 'slack'."

• Elsewhere in Europe

  Posted at

  

  There is one other game going on this evening in the Champions League - and there has been a goal. Last season's finalists Atletico Madrid take a 1-0 lead against Bayer Leverkusen through Mario Suarez to make it 1-1 on aggregate. Going to penalties as it stands - long way to go, mind.

  Follow that game here.
• Monaco 0-0 Arsenal (Agg 3-1)

  Posted at 31 mins

  A cross from Alexis Sanchez is helped back in by Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud does well to let it drop but before he can get a shot off Aymen Abdennour does really well to manoeuvre his body into a blocking position.

Blundering Blancos into quarters despite Huntelaar heroics

Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice to become the all-time leading goalscorer in European competition but Carlo Ancelotti's men only scraped through to the last eight

Real Madrid survived a fraught last five minutes to limp into the Champions League quarter-finals despite a 4-3 home defeat to Schalke on Tuesday.
Former Real forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar threatened a famous upset with a stunning 85th-minute strike that meant Schalke needed to score just once more to progress on away goals.
The holders' 2-0 victory in Gelsenkirchen in the first leg ultimately proved enough to see them through 5-4 on aggregate - but the Bernabeu faithful were less than impressed, as they greeted the final whistle with a deafening chorus of jeers as Real's relative slump in form continued.
Cristiano Ronaldo had twice saved Real in a poor first-half showing as his headers cancelled out goals from Christian Fuchs and Huntelaar - the Portuguese's double making him the highest goalscorer in European competition.
Karim Benzema put Real ahead on the night shortly after half-time, only for Leroy Sane to curl home an exquisite equaliser for Schalke, before Huntelaar's superb finish set up a grandstand ending to the game.
Real just about held on to deny Roberto Di Matteo's impressive Schalke side, but the pressure continues to mount on Carlo Ancelotti after another below-par display.
Ancelotti's men - who slipped off the top of La Liga at the weekend - were poor from the off, and Schalke capitalised to take a deserved lead in the 20th minute.
Tranquillo Barnetta's curling cross from the right found Fuchs at the back post and his shot was too powerful for Iker Casillas - who may feel he should have made the save having got two hands on the ball.
The visitors' joy proved short lived as Real struck back five minutes later, with Toni Kroos' outswinging corner met by Ronaldo's bullet header that flew into the far corner.
Schalke were unfazed, though, and Huntelaar was desperately unlucky to see a stunning 20-yard half-volley rebound off the crossbar before the Dutchman deservedly restored the Bundesliga outfit's advantage soon after.
Meyer's original shot was parried by Casillas and Huntelaar pounced to slam home the rebound.

Match Stats — Team Stats

Real Madridv.FC Schalke 04

• Attack
• General Play
• Distribution
• Defence & Discipline

• Attack

  Goals

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  3	42.9%57.1%	4

  Total Shots (including blocked shots)

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  14	41.2%58.8%	20

  Shots On Target

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  9	47.4%52.6%	10

  Blocked Shots

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  2	50%50%	2

  Shots from outside the box

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  6	35.3%64.7%	11

  Shots from inside the box

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  8	47.1%52.9%	9

  Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)

  Real Madrid	Comparison	FC Schalke 04
  75%	57.4%42.6%	55.6%

But once again Ronaldo saved Real, their talisman nodding home Fabio Coentrao's exquisite left-wing delivery just before the break.
Real moved ahead for the first time on the night eight minutes after the break, Benzema showing great composure to beat a couple of defenders and rookie goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther before tucking into the unguarded goal.
Schalke refused to lie down, though, as teenager Sane marked his European debut with a sublime left-footed effort that curled past a despairing Casillas.
Real responded well, but were made to endure a nervy ending when the returning Luka Modric's misplaced pass was picked up by Huntelaar, who slammed his shot off the underside of the bar from the edge of the penalty area.
The Bernabeu's discontent was in full evidence by this point and Casillas prevented a full-on mutiny when he denied Benedikt Howedes in the closing stages, as Real just about survived an almighty scare.

Portuguese power into last eight

Yacine Brahimi, Hector Herrera, Casemiro and Vincent Aboubakar all netted as the home side made easy work of their Swiss opponents, who had Walter Samuel dismissed late on

Yacine Brahimi stepped up in the absence of Jackson Martinez to guide Porto into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals courtesy of a 4-0 win over Basel.
The Portuguese side earned a 1-1 draw in the Switzerland-hosted first leg on February 18, but Julen Lopetegui's men were in merciless form on Tuesday, with the tricky Algerian leading the way to a fine victory at Estadio do Dragao, which keeps them unbeaten in this season's competition.
Martinez, the scorer of 25 goals across all fronts this term, missed out due to a thigh muscle tear and, although Vincent Aboubakar started and scored in the Colombian's place, Brahimi took centre-stage in his absence, breaking the deadlock with a delightful 14th-minute free-kick.
While the hosts were somewhat wasteful in the first half, they ran riot after the interval as Hector Herrera quickly opened up a two-goal deficit – Brahimi instrumental again.
Casemiro, another to catch the eye on the day, added the third with a spectacular free-kick of his own in the 56th minute.
And Aboubakar got in on the act 14 minutes from time, once again rendering goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik helpless with another incredible effort, ensuring an unhappy homecoming for Basel's Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa, who also saw veteran defender Walter Samuel sent off after a performance littered with rash challenges.
For all their sparkling play in attack, a fearsome Porto work-rate was also in evidence from the off as Casemiro robbed Basel of the ball and fed Cristian Tello on the edge of the area, with Samuel forced to cynically chop down the Barcelona loanee.
Brahimi stepped up to take the resulting free-kick and nonchalantly caressed his effort beyond the static Vaclik and into the net.
Casemiro's audacious effort from distance landed on the roof of the net soon after, but Porto's momentum was checked slightly when captain Danilo was stretchered from the field after colliding with goalkeeper Fabiano.

Match Stats — Team Stats

FC Portov.FC Basel

• Attack
• General Play
• Distribution
• Defence & Discipline

• Attack

  Goals

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  4	100%0%	0

  Total Shots (including blocked shots)

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  13	68.4%31.6%	6

  Shots On Target

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  7	70%30%	3

  Blocked Shots

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  2	100%0%	0

  Shots from outside the box

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  11	73.3%26.7%	4

  Shots from inside the box

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  2	50%50%	2

  Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)

  FC Porto	Comparison	FC Basel
  63.6%	56%44%	50%

The second half was barely two minutes in when Porto finally made their superiority tell and the impressive Brahimi was once again central.
The Algeria playmaker battled his way past two defenders on the left flank and teed up Herrera on the edge of the area, with the Mexican curling an unstoppable drive beyond Vaclik.
Porto's third arrived 10 minutes into the second period and it was another exquisite effort, this time courtesy of Casemiro, who ruthlessly smashed his 30-yard free-kick into the top-left corner.
And a night of stunning efforts in Portugal was capped by Aboubakar racing clear and hammering a right-footed effort into the top corner from 20 yards, securing a quarter-final spot for only the second time since Porto's trophy-winning campaign of 2003-04 as Basel's woeful outing was compounded by Samuel's late dismissal for two bookings.

Real Madrid

• Cristiano Ronaldo 25', 45',
• K. Benzema 52'

3

FT

4

Real Madrid win Aggregate 5 - 4

Schalke 04

• C. Fuchs 20',
• K. Huntelaar 40', 84',
• L. Sané 57'
•  

  Best and Worst Player

  Best Player

  Goal Choice

  

  K. Huntelaar

  Schalke 04 Position: Attacker

  Fan Choice

  

  K. Huntelaar

  Schalke 04 Position: Attacker

  Worst Player

  Goal Choice

  

  S. Khedira

  Real Madrid Position: Midfielder

  Fan Choice

  

  Casillas

  Real Madrid Position: Goalkeeper

  Team Ratings

  Real Madrid

  • 1 Casillas Allowed Fuchs' strike to squeeze through his hands at the front post then put a chance on the plate for Huntelaar to score. Didn't have a chance for the second two and denied Schalke a victory late on with a save from Howedes.
    
  • 5 Fábio Coentrão Gave Barnetta too much room on the right wing and got attracted to the ball centrally too much, but did set up Ronaldo's second with a fantastic digged out cross from the byline.
    
  • 17 Arbeloa Got too attracted to the ball centrally for the first goal as Fuchs had the freedom of the box to lash home. Didn't show his experience as this happened too often, and also missed a one-one-one with the keeper.
    
  • 2 R. Varane Distribution from the back was uncharacteristically poor and, like Pepe, put pressure on his team-mates with his passing. Couldn't handle the drifting runs of Huntelaar inside the box.
    
  • 3 Pepe Passing was atrocious from the back as he regularly handed Schalke back possession when Madrid were on the back foot, which only added to the pressure on his defence. Turned like a bus for the last goal in an attempt to chase Huntelaar.
    
  • 23 Isco Displayed fleeting moments of quality on the ball but it was not often enough and in positions of little danger. Was marked out of the game for the most past by the central midfielders of Schalke.
    
  • 6 S. Khedira Continually left gaping holes in the middle of the park which Schalke regularly exploited. Abandoned his position time and time again and was a headless chicken attempting to chase the ball around.
    
  • 8 T. Kroos Received very little protection from Khedira who was too busy wandering off, which meant he was being tasked with defensive duties which hampered his possession game. Forced a great save out of the opposition keeper.
    
  • 11 G. Bale Is trying far, far too hard to pander to Benzema and Ronaldo as it is drastically hampering his decision-making in the final third. Shot when he should have passed and vice-versa.
    
  • 9 K. Benzema Took a while to feel his way into the match but ended up holding the ball up much better to introduce team-mates into the play up top. Grabbed a goal after some composed dribbling inside the box.
    
  • 7 Cristiano Ronaldo Not a great performance by any means but still got on the scoresheet with two fantastic headers. Clawed Madrid over the finish line with his goals but looked frustrated out there.
    

  Schalke 04

  • 40 T. Wellenreuther Was very proactive in his goalkeeping and regularly came off his line to collect crosses out of the air. Denied Kroos' long range strike with a superb tipped save over the bar.
    
  • 4 B. Höwedes Put in a few excellent tackles in and around the penalty area and didn't really have a direct hand in conceding any goals, but perhaps should have been a little closer to Matip in the central position.
    
  • 23 C. Fuchs Displayed plenty of attacking ambition despite being played slightly further forward than usual in the wing-back position. Opened the scoring with a lashed strike that proved too hot to handle for Casillas and set up Sane for the third.
    
  • 32 J. Matip Made a good start to the match and aided his team-mates with covering runs in behind, but ended up being bullied by Ronaldo for the first goal and lost the run of the Portuguese for the second.
    
  • 31 M. Nastasić Was slightly rash in his positioning as he ventured out to try and win the ball on silly positions near the wing. Solid enough in the tackle.
    
  • 33 R. Neustädter Was combative throughout the match and didn't allow the Isco in particular to collect the ball in his favourite position between defence in midfield as he was always right at the Spaniard's back hunting the ball.
    
  • 7 M. Meyer Continually collected the ball in the No.10 position and was a major threat with his incisive, powerful dribbles in and around the penalty area. Had a hand in both first half goals with his fearless running.
    
  • 27 T. Barnetta Was awarded plenty of space down the right wing and made the most of it to hit the byline time and time again. Set up the opening goal with a curled cross to the back post for Fuchs.
    
  • 12 M. Höger Wasted a good opportunity to pick out a completely unmarked Huntelaar in the first few minutes but recovered well and helped out the attackers with late runs from midfield which created space for Meyer in particular to operate.
    
  • 25 K. Huntelaar Always wants to prove a point when playing Real Madrid. Almost scored a screamer with a volley from 25 yards that cracked the woodwork but scored Schalke's second moments later with a typically predatory close range finish and then won the back on the night with a wonderful finish off the bar and in.
    
  • 13 E. Choupo-Moting Caused a few problems with his pace and physical presence but was forced off early in the first half due to injury.
    

  Substitutes

  • 12 Marcelo Made some important defensive clearances at the back post.
    
  • 18 Nacho Late change.
    
  • 19 L. Modrić Seamlessly slotted in midfield but loose tackle in midfield resulted in the last Schalke goal.
    

  Substitutes

  • 22 A. Uchida Late change.
    
  • 19 L. Sané Played without fear and continually caused problems with his pacey runs. Got on the scoresheet with a sublime strike into the top left corner.
    
  • 8 L. Goretzka Showed some neat touches on the ball in central areas.
    

Casemiro shows Real Madrid what they're missing with Porto masterclass

The midfielder on loan at Porto from the Bernabeu was outstanding in his side's win over Basel on a night when his parent club came up woefully short against Schalke By Peter Staunton

Real Madrid might well be looking for ways to improve their team following their narrow Champions League escape against an ordinary Schalke side - with their midfield area in particular looking too static and timid at the Bernabeu.

Over at Estadio do Dragao, one of their own, Casemiro, was busy confirming himself as one of the breakout stars of the competition this season.

Porto's tie against Basel was already virtually decided with the hosts 2-0 ahead before the hour mark, but Casemiro's long-range free-kick was as good as Juninho or Sinisa Mihajlovic could manage in their prime.

Real have enough options on dead balls, despite Cristiano Ronaldo missing his last 50 free kicks, and so if the former Sao Paulo man does return to Chamartin it is unlikely he will be given command of situations in and around the area. Nonetheless, he might have moved himself up the pecking order with one of the standout goals in this season's Champions League.

The 23-year-old Brazilian remains part of the Madrid set-up as he signed an initial 12-month loan deal with the Portuguese giants following a hugely frustrating start to life at Santiago Bernabeu. He played only a dozen times in La Liga last season and appeared to be one player too many in a congested central area.

A move west has reinvogorated his career in Europe, however, and he demonstrated against Basel precisely the type of qualities that Real lacked in their own game against Schalke.

Player Stats — Carlos Henrique José Francisco Venâncio

• General
• Attack
• Defence
• Distribution
• Discipline

• General

  Minutes Played

  90

  Touches

  81

  Duels won

  64.3%

  64.3%

  Aerial duels won

  60%

  60%

  Interceptions

  6

He is in this Porto team for other reasons than his free-kicks, and those qualities shone through against a Basel side who put in their worst display since Real put five past them in September. It was a night that Paulo Sousa's side lost their heads, collectively. There were too many fouls and too much physicality in how they attempted to deal with the dexterity of Cristian Tello and Yacine Brahimi. They allowed Porto to control possession with Casemiro repeatedly setting his side moving.

He expertly stole the ball on 13 minutes and unleashed Tello, who was bundled over by Walter Samuel. Brahimi made no mistake with his own free kick from the edge of the box.

Then there was an audacious attempt at goal from about 40 yards which came unexpectedly for the television cameras. It was not the only time that Casemiro has conjured greatness under the radar this season. He is rapidly developing into the player Real wish they'd signed in the first place - leading Porto to only their second quarter-final since winning the Champions League in 2004.

Further goals from Hector Herrera and the industrious Vincent Aboubakar were in themselves worthy of confirming Porto's place as one of the top eight teams in Europe.

This pairing was seen initially by many as the dud draw. Porto, however, are a team in spectacular form as their recent league outings would confirm. They have again earned their reputation as the supreme European finishing school for emerging talent. This is certainly their best group since Andre Villas-Boas took them to the Europa League title in 2011 and that vintage contained Radamel Falcao, Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez.

"Teams must not under-estimate Porto in the next round," respected Sky Italia pundit and former Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli noted. "They have a lot of interesting players, they have not lost a game and their defence is one of the meanest in the competition."

There was to be one downside for the Portuguese side, though, as their captain Danilo suffered a sickening collision with his own goalkeeper during the first half. The right back, a target for Real, departed the field in an ambulance and was immediately transferred to hospital for observation. He will be fit enough for the quarters.

No team, and certainly not Real, would want to face them in the the last eight. Not with such dominant football being purveyed under Julen Lopetegui and with such hunger and ferocity in the bellies of Casemiro and his team-mates.

Calamity Casillas, pathetic Pepe and Varane on vacation - nobody will be scared of this Real Madrid

COMMENT: Carlo Ancelotti's side came close to a humiliating exit against a side they dispatched 9-2 on aggregate last season. On this form, they are unlikely to retain their title

By Ben Hayward at the Santiago Bernabeu This was a chance to right recent wrongs. Real Madrid had a point to prove following their defeat at Athletic Club in La Liga on Saturday and had vowed to react after their poor performances of late. But instead, they looked more vulnerable than ever.

Schalke shocked the champions by taking the lead after a scrappy start from Carlo Ancelotti's men - something all too common in the last few weeks - and went ahead again after Cristiano Ronaldo had headed an equaliser. And even when Karim Benzema made it 3-2, still the German team came back and they almost did the unthinkable as they went 4-3 up in the dying minutes and pushed for another which would have won them the tie.

The Bernabeu crowd met the final whistle with tangible relief, but plenty of jeers for their team too. This was not the side that conquered Europe last season, nor the one expected to build an era-defining team under Ancelotti. This was simply not good enough.

Casillas could have done better with the first goal and the shot stuck straight at him by Christian Fuchs that he could only help into the corner. And the Madrid captain was caught out again as he parried Max Meyer's drive into the path of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for Schalke's second.

Another Ronaldo header and a fine finish from Benzema restored relative calm, but chaos returned and Casillas was at fault for a third time, failing to react as Leroy Sane curled home from outside the box for 3-3.

In front of Casillas, Madrid missed the organisation of the injured Sergio Ramos. Raphael Varane and Pepe were guilty of poor positioning and chaotic co-ordination as they allowed the Schalke forwards time and space to attack at wiill. Varane was prone to lapses in concentration and careless passes at the back, while Pepe was caught ball-watching and looked off the pace as the German side scored a late fourth.

That goal originated from a rare Luka Modric mistake as the Croat's intended intervention inadvertently set up Huntelaar, although the former Real striker still had to find his way between three Madrid defenders to latch onto the loose ball and beat Casillas with a thunderous drive.


That error aside, Modric gave Madrid much more composure and slicker circulation of the ball in midfield, something Ancelotti had been complaining about after the loss at Athletic at the weekend.

On Sunday against Levante, Ramos may be back too, while James Rodriguez is also on the mend. Those three have been badly missed but even when they are back, Madrid will need to do far better than this to have any hope of defending the crown they won in Lisbon last May.

Ancelotti said on Monday that he hoped Madrid would bounce back to build confidence ahead of the Clasico clash against Barcelona on March 22, but playing like this, nobody will be scared of the Italian's side.

"There is little to say," the Italian admitted afterwards. "We are experiencing an obvious dip in form and with an attitude like that, we won't go very far. We played badly and it's not good for our image or the image of this club. The jeers are totally deserved."

But the 55-year-old added: "I have spoken to the players and we want to do a lot better than that. Things change quickly in football - in December we were on a high after winning 22 games in a row. Now we are at a low but the fans' jeers can wake us up."

Despite the defeat and the poor performance on Tuesday, Los Blancos remain alive in Europe and live to fight another day, just as they did after losing 2-0 to Dortmund in last year's quarter-final and almost crashing out of the competition altogether. This was worse, however - a loss at home with four goals conceded against a side currently lying fifth in the Bundesliga table.

To have any hope of winning the Clasico or progressing further in the Champions League, such performances must be confined to the past. For Ancelotti, there is plenty of work to be done - starting with the defence.