Jose Mourinho broke Real Madrid's six-year Champions League jinx when his side crushed Olympique Lyon 3-0 on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004. Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria scored the goals at a packed and rowdy Bernabeu to put the record nine-times winners through 4-1 on aggregate.
Real's smooth passage into the last eight at the expense of the team that knocked them out last season will be seen as a personal triumph for their outspoken Portuguese coach and is his first meaningful contribution to the club since joining from Inter Milan.
Mourinho was hired after leading Inter to a treble of Italian league and cup and Champions League last term as Real's big-spending president Florentino Perez seeks the elusive "decima", a 10th title in Europe's elite club competition. "I don't want to make a huge deal out of this match and this qualification," Mourinho said at a news conference. The draw for the quarter-finals is on Friday.
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