UEFA Champions League: Blues Settle For Match One Draw In Istanbul; Galacticos Annihilate Royal Blues In Gelsenkirchen

Two games were played on Wednesday as the Round-of-16 in the UEFA Champions League reached the midway point.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Chelsea gained a series-opening 1-1 draw on the road (a better result than what has happened with England's other Champions League knockout stagers) as Fernando Torres (seen here celebrating) scored in the ninth minute.  Aurelien Chedjou equalized for the hosts in the 64th minute.

Reuters photo

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Karim Benzima (13', 57'), Gareth Bale (21', 69', that's him here), and Cristiano Ronaldo (52', 89') each delivered a pair as Real Madrid virtually locked up a berth in the quarterfinal round following their match-one 6-1 demolition of Schalke 04.

Photo from ESPN FC website