Robin van Persie scored a stunning hat-trick to send Manchester United through to the UCL quarter-finals on an epic night of high drama at Old Trafford.

Van Persie, who left the pitch on a stretcher late on, converted a first-half penalty and scored on the brink of half-time before he struck the final goal of the 3-0 win with a free-kick just after the restart.
The Theatre of Dreams turned into the scene of Moyes’ worst nightmare on Sunday when United lost 3-0 to Liverpool and questions arose about the manager’s future.
But the United boss got everything spot on against the Greeks on Wednesday night.
The odds were against the United boss. The last time the Red Devils came back from 2-0 down in the first leg was 30 years ago when Bryan Robson inspired the team to a rousing 3-0 win over a Barcelona side that included Diego Maradona.
Tonight it was the turn of another United icon – Ryan Giggs – to boss the game.
Moyes’ decision to deploy the 40-year-old in the middle of the park proved to be a masterstroke as he played a key role in the build-up to the first two goals and excelled throughout.
A battered and bloodied Antonio Valencia, who was given a black eye early in the first half, also put on a display that United’s Captain Marvel would have been proud of.
Moyes, who received support from the Old Trafford crowd throughout, may have endured a terrible domestic season, but his European dream is still alive thanks to this impressive comeback.
The only thing that will worry Moyes is that his hat-trick hero was carried off on a stretcher late on with what looked like a knee injury.
United, knowing only a big win would send them through, went at Olympiacos from the off but they were frustrated by the tenacious visitors, who did everything they could to break play up.
Valencia jumped for the ball with Joel Campbell and ended up with a black eye that left him barely able to see. Moyes looked concerned, but the winger continued after treatment.
Kostas Manolas and Alejandro Dominguez saw yellow for petty fouls while Michael Carrick also entered the book for a foul on Hernan Perez.
Perez picked himself up and went down the other end, gaining a yard inside the United box but he fired over. The midfielder fell to the turf and placed his head in his hands. He knew he had missed a gilt-edged chance.
Giggs forgot he was 40 for a moment and his attempt at skinning the Olympiacos right-back ended in embarrassing failure.
But the United veteran showed why he was recalled to the team moments later when he lofted a delicious ball over the top towards Van Persie. Jose Holebas barged over the Dutchman and the referee had no option but to give a penalty.
Van Persie slotted the ball home with 25 minutes on the clock – exactly the same time that Robson had put United ahead against Barcelona in 1984. Could that be an omen, United fans wondered.
Valencia was putting in a battling display in the mould of Robson. The Ecuadorian belted a low shot at goal which almost caught Roberto off guard.
The Olympiacos goalkeeper then saved superbly from Evra as the pressure mounted.
Then, out of the blue, United were under severe pressure. De Gea saved superbly from Perez and he was back on his feet less than a second later to deny David Fuster.
The double-save lifted the crowd and moments later the decibel level inside the stadium rocketed as Van Persie bagged his second of the night.
Giggs, once again, played a key role. The Welshman picked out Rooney with a pin-point pass and the England frontman squared to Van Persie, who tucked away the simplest of side-footed finishes.
Moyes clenched his fists in a rousing celebration.
The Scot knew the job was not complete yet though, and joined his players in jogging away down the tunnel at the break.
Five minutes after the restart United claimed the third goal they needed. Danny Welbeck went down under the faintest of challenges from Manolas but that did not matter to Van Persie.
The striker clipped the ball over the wall and a bamboozled Roberto watched it drift past him. Raucous celebrations ensued, but they soon gave way to a nervous silence as Olympiacos suddenly sprung into life.
Ivan Marcano’s deflected free-kick flew a foot wide and Perez missed another good chance, ploughing his low drive straight at De Gea.
The Spaniard saved well again from Dominguez. An injury to Van Persie, who was the victim of a tackle by Giannis Maniatis, meant there were five minutes of added time, but United rode out the storm to make it through to the last eight.

According to Foxsports

Didier Drogba’s return to Stamford Bridge ended in defeat as Chelsea beat Galatasaray 2-0 in Tuesday night’s Champions League match to progress to the quarter-finals.

Jose Mourinho warned of a dangerous tie poised 1-1 after the first leg in Istanbul three weeks ago, but four minutes into the second leg his side regained the advantage before advancing into Friday’s last-eight draw with ease, 3-1 on aggregate.
Drogba, scorer of 157 goals in 341 appearances over eight years for the Blues, including the decisive penalty in the 2012 European Cup win, was expected to be the main protagonist of the contest.
But it was another 30-something African striker who found the net with the first attack as, for once, the Ivorian faded into the background on the big occasion, with Eden Hazard the outstanding forward on display.
Samuel Eto’o showed his predatory instinct to fire the Blues in front at the end of a move started by Hazard and Gary Cahill added a second before the interval to give Chelsea a commanding two-goal advantage.
Chelsea were unable to add to their tally, but did not need to.
Roberto Mancini’s visitors were a distant second best throughout and offered up little resistance as the former Manchester City manager’s return to England ended in a limp loss.
Given Manchester United and Tottenham face two-goal deficits – on Wednesday against Olympiacos in the Champions League and on Thursday at Benfica in the Europa League, respectively – it is possible Chelsea will be the only English club in Europe come Friday’s draws.
Their immediate attention now turns to Saturday’s Premier League showdown with Arsenal, where Mourinho’s leaders will hope to put the controversial loss at Aston Villa firmly in the past in Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game as Gunners boss.
Wenger was branded a “specialist in failure” by Mourinho last month.
Mourinho is a serial winner and has twice won the Champions League, but not with Chelsea. Not yet.
Drogba was presented with a silver boot by Chelsea for his achievements in Blue, which ended with that magical night in Munich, and was acknowledged with the acclaim of all sides of the ground as both home and visiting supports sang his name.
The Ivory Coast striker embraced Mourinho in the seconds before kick-off and lined up against a Chelsea XI showing two changes following the loss at Villa Park, with Eto’o and Frank Lampard in for Fernando Torres and Nemanja Matic, who was ineligible.
Eto’o, a Champions League winner with Barcelona and Mourinho’s Inter Milan, justified his inclusion with his 10th of the season – all of which have come at home – after breaching the offside trap to latch on to Oscar’s pass and convert with a shot which squirmed under Fernando Muslera’s right hand.
Eto’o also scored on Mourinho’s homecoming with Inter in March 2010 en route to their European Cup win.
Another Inter player then was Wesley Sneijder, who was a peripheral figure for Galatasaray as Drogba tried to spark the visitors’ reply by hitting a bicycle kick into the Matthew Harding End, which is adorned with a banner reading ‘Drogba Legend’.
Chelsea – and Hazard, in particular – were finding holes in the visiting defence and Felipe Melo was booked after a series of fouls, usually on his fellow Brazilians.
Hazard’s run had helped to set up the goal and the Belgian’s one-two with Oscar led to a chance for Lampard, which the midfielder could only prod over.
Hazard showed great strength to out muscle former Arsenal right-back Emmanuel Eboue on the right wing and tried to fashion another chance only to be crowded out at the byline and then had a shot saved.
Lampard’s free-kick was volleyed narrowly over by John Terry and a Drogba set-piece from a similar distance at the other end was so far over it hit the banner bearing his name.
Hazard and Eto’o combined to set up a chance for Willian, who could only weakly direct the ball straight at Muslera, but soon Chelsea had their second.
Lampard and Terry combined at another set-piece and this time the captain’s header from a corner was saved, with Cahill following up to thrash the ball into the net.
Chelsea set about trying to add to their lead and went close in the opening skirmishes of the second period.
Oscar was unable to test Muslera after a mesmerising Hazard run before the Galatasaray goalkeeper saved from Willian and Oscar shot wide after cutting in from the left.
Lampard headed straight at Muslera as Chelsea continued to search for a third, before Drogba was booked for tugging back Cesar Azpilicueta.
Azpilicueta chipped off target before Hazard was denied by Muslera.
Torres, on for Eto’o, was teed-up by Hazard and denied by the visiting goalkeeper as Galatasaray and Drogba were eliminated.

According to Foxsports

Real Madrid unsurprisingly booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after wrapping up an emphatic 9-2 aggregate victory over Schalke.

A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo – his 40th and 41st goals of the season – and one for Alvaro Morata sealed a 3-1 victory on the night as Madrid dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a last-16 tie that was as good as over in the wake of their 6-1 victory in the first leg three weeks ago.
Tim Hoogland’s heavily deflected strike was all Schalke had to show from their trip to Madrid, although Jens Keller’s men were at least spared a repeat of the abject drubbing they suffered on home turf last month.
Only four Madrid players who started that commanding victory in Germany were named in the starting XI for the return at the Bernabeu, with Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso and the indefatigable Ronaldo all keeping their places.
Jese was one of the fringe players brought in by Carlo Ancelotti but the 21-year-old’s night was over almost immediately, the forward reportedly suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury in an innocuous tussle with Sead Kolasinac inside two minutes.
The unfortunate Spain Under-21 international – an outside tip to make the senior squad at this summer’s World Cup – was replaced by Gareth Bale and the Wales international did not need long to make a telling impact.
With 22 minutes gone, good work by prolific Spain Under-21 striker Morata created the chance for Bale to work a yard of space on the right and drill in a low cross that Ronaldo turned home first time to take him past the 40-goal milestone for a fourth successive season.
Bale nearly had another assist five minutes later when he raced clear of his marker down the right and sent a perfectly-weighted pass into the area for Morata who had only make a telling connection to be sure of finding the net but instead fluffed his lines.
Despite their mauling three weeks ago Schalke were a good match for Madrid throughout the half and deservedly pulled one back after half an hour when Hoogland was allowed to advance through the midfield before rifling an effort that took a massive deflection of Ramos to wrong-foot Casillas.
Isco’s stinging 20-yard effort drew a good save from Ralf Fahrmann as Madrid sought an immediate response. Fahrmann then denied Morata, Ramos and Nacho as the hosts continued to press for another before the break, even with the overall leading standing at 7-2.
Yet it was the visitors who should have taken the lead on the night in the 40th minute. Madrid were sloppy in ceding the ball in midfield and Max Meyer was able to break away, the midfielder threading the ball through for Klaas Jan Huntelaar – who dragged his effort just wide of the post.
Fahrmann was back in action early in the second period when he somehow scooped Ronaldo’s downward header over the bar, and again excelled in the 55th minute when he smothered Isco’s shot after the midfielder had deftly cut inside his marker.
But Madrid’s goal threat was ever-present and it came as no surprise when they regained the lead on the night with 74 minutes on the clock, Ronaldo collecting the ball in midfield and running powerfully at the back-pedalling home defence before drilling a low effort inside Fahrmann’s near post.
Ronaldo could and should have been celebrating a hat-trick two minutes later when he fired against the bar with the goal at his mercy after Fahrmann had saved Morata’s initial effort, but although Ronaldo had been thwarted the danger had not passed and Bale was able to steer the ball back towards the waiting Morata, who clinically slotted home.
There was still time for Ronaldo to wrap up his treble but when the opportunity came his way inside the final 10 minutes his placed shot beyond the advancing Fahrmann came back off the right-hand post.

According to Foxsports