Madrid, Schalke ease through

Madrid - Visiting German side Schalke 04 stunned holders Inter Milan with a 5-2 win, while Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Real Madrid trounced 10-man Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in first leg matches of the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Schalke twice came from behind before hitting three second-half goals to humiliate Inter who now almost certainly need a four-goal win in Gelsenkirchen next week to stay in the competition.

Joel Matipo in the 17th minute equalised a first minute strike from Dejan Stankovic, who volleyed the ball into an empty net from close to the half-way line after keeper Manuel Neuer came out his area to head clear.

Diego Milito again put Inter ahead in the 34th minute but Schalke levelled through Edu five minutes for the break, Raul Gonzalez netted from close range in the 53rd and an Andrea Ranocchia own goal four minutes later made it four.

Inter's woes were compounded in the 67th minute when Christian Chivu was sent off for a second yellow card, and Schalke rounded off a remarkable night when Edu struck his second and the Bundesliga side's fifth in the 75th.

"It was an extraordinary performance by the team," coach Ralf Rangnick said.

The result means the Italian champions will go to Germany seeking a win by four goals in the second leg. In a more unlikely scenario Inter would at at least have to match the 5-2 victory and then depend on a penalty shoot-out or achieve a higher-scoring three-goal win.

At the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Real moved close to a place in the last four with a 4-0 rout of Tottenham.

Adebayor gave Real an early lead when he headed in a Mesut Oezil corner in the fifth minute, and Spurs' hopes were further dented when striker Peter Crouch was sent off in the 15th minute for a second yellow card, both for late challenges.

Former Arsenal striker Adebayor, on loan from Manchester City, made it two in the 57th minute with another header following a short corner before Angel di Maria struck a fine left-foot goal in the 72nd and Cristiano Ronaldo completed the scoring three minutes from time.

"We are very happy with this 4-0, it gives us a good advantage for the second leg," Ronaldo said. "Anything can happen in football, but it is now very difficult for us not to go through."

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson said: "To give the first two goals away in the way we did we have to look at ourselves and be disappointed.

"Going down to 10 men didn't help things against such a top quality side and we gave them a helping hand. We have to go away and pick ourselves up be ready for the next game."

First-leg matches continue on Wednesday when Chelsea play Manchester United, and Barcelona welcome Shakhtar Donetsk.