Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team were full of confidence after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League quarterfinals as Karim Benzema's second-half goal secured a comfortable 1-0 win over Liverpool in their last-16 second leg that wrapped up a 6-2 aggregate victory on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr beat Abha 3-1 in the King's Cup on Tuesday but it was a disappointing night for the Portuguese forward, who failed to score, received a yellow card and was substituted for the first time since his move to Saudi Arabia.

The 32-year-old has not played a minute for Madrid in La Liga or the Champions League since the World Cup however.

Vinicius Junior scored a fine solo goal as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Espanyol 3-1 and cut Barcelona's lead to six points at the top of La Liga on Saturday.

After losing 1-0 at home to Barca in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday, Real dominated against Betis but missed several opportunities

A tenacious Barcelona frustrated Real Madrid to secure a 1-0 win over their bitter rivals in an ill-tempered Copa del Rey semifinal first leg on Thursday.

Carlo Ancelotti is confident he will remain in charge of Real Madrid next season, despite his team's eight point deficit on Barcelona at the top of La Liga, he said Friday.

Sergio Ramos retired from international duty with Spain on Thursday, saying new coach Luis de la Fuente told him he did not count on him.

Liverpool had raced into a 2-0 lead at Anfield, but a double from Vinicius levelled the match before the break and laid the foundation for a thumping Champions League, last-16 first leg win.

"It's a very important night for us, I want to dedicate this win to our honorary president, Amancio," Madrid captain Benzema told Movistar

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had given the hosts a perfect start in a repeat of last season's Champions League final

For many Liverpool fans the scenes brought back memories of a crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of 97 supporters

Amancio scored 155 goals in 471 games for Madrid, before going on to coach the team in the 1984-85 season.

Forced to step into Cristiano Ronaldo's shoes when Madrid's all-time top goalscorer left in 2018, it seemed too much too soon for Vinicius – it would have been for almost anyone, let alone a teenager

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema was missing from Real's matchday squad as coach Carlo Ancelotti rested the France attacker ahead of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg at Anfield

Kroos has won the Champions League five times – once with Bayern Munich and on four occasions with Real – but he thinks a Super League could be good for European soccer

The 26-year-old scored against Real Betis in a 2-1 win on February 1 and then again in the 3-0 win over Sevilla on Sunday, helping Barcelona open an eight point chasm above second place Real Madrid.

After retiring from playing in 1991 he went on to manage Rayo Vallecano, Racing Santander, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Real Valladolid, Malaga and Granada 74.

Al Hilal, the first Saudi side to reach the Club World Cup final, will face the winners of Real Madrid's semi-final against Al Ahly on Wednesday in Rabat.