Real Madrid edged past Borussia Dortmund despite slumping to a 2-0 defeat to advance to the Champions League semi-finals and stay on track for a tenth European Cup final victory.
Two first-half goals by Marco Reus, both coming from Real mistakes, gave Dortmund a deserved lead as Carlo Ancelotti's side, who had a penalty saved in the 17th minute, were left mesmerised by the German club's frantic pace.
Real, with the top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo left on the bench due to a minor knee injury, saw their 3-0 advantage from the first leg almost evaporate in a disastrous first half for them. "That was too much suffering and I think it was deserved," said the goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "But from time to time it's good to have this kind of wake-up call that reminds us it's not always easy, and especially not in the Champions League.
"It is better that it happened in this game than in the decisive matches to come. We had to show quite a lot of mental strength because going 2-0 down by the 37th minute there were a lot of things going through our heads."
Real, who twice lost to Dortmund in Germany in last season's competition including a 4-1 thrashing in the first leg of their semi-final, briefly recovered in the second half before the Germans, last season's runners-up, again surged forward, missing half a dozen clear scoring chances and also hitting a post.
Real's first leg performance, however, carried them into a fourth consecutive Champions League semi-final, leaving Dortmund to rue missed opportunities. "After our performance in the first half we felt we could score four or five goals against them," the midfielder Oliver Kirch said.
The German team got off to a fiery start, looking for an early goal that could set them on their way.
Real, however, squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead and put the tie all but beyond the home side when they were awarded a penalty for handball by Lukasz Piszczek and Angel Di María saw it saved by Roman Weidenfeller.
A minute later it was Dortmund's turn to miss with Henrikh Mkhitaryan firing wide from close range but Reus made amends in the 24th minute, pouncing on a defensive mistake by Pepe to slot in for the lead.
Mats Hummels almost added another as the home side piled on the pressure but his well-timed header was palmed over the bar by Casillas. Germany international Reus crashed in his second goal in the 37th minute when he charged forward after another Real mistake, this time from Asier Illarramendi, fed the striker Robert Lewandowski, who hit a post, and was left unmarked to drill in at the far post.
Real brought on Isco in the second half to try to control possession and they briefly succeeded as Dortmund lost some of their passing sharpness and pace. Jürgen Klopp's side were lurking on the break and almost levelled the tie when Mkhitaryan rounded Casillas but only managed to hit a post in the 65th minute.
The German team then poured forward, determined to score a third that would force extra-time, but could not find the back of the net, departing the competition with their heads held high.
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