So José Mourinho could be returning to Chelsea after all. Real Madrid eased into the Champions League quarter-final with a comfortable win over CSKA Moscow and, though the Portuguese coach admitted this was not their most brilliant performance, few will want to face them. Potential opponents will have taken note of the fact that Xabi Alonso, whose passing was impeccable, picked up a yellow card for a foul on Pontus Wernbloom that means he will miss the first leg.
Mourinho was keen to stress that he did not care whom his side faces next but there were warm words for Chelsea, a club he "loves". A Stamford Bridge return would be special. Even better, said Mourinho, would be the chance to meet in Munich. "People can't understand how much I love Inter and Chelsea and how much I love the boys and I know if I get them [Chelsea] in the quarters or semis or final they'll be a great opponent," he said. "I'm so happy for the boys because they have incredible character, they've had a hard time but now happiness is coming."
It is coming for Madrid too. There were occasional flashes from the Russians and, as the clock ticked down, the odd nervy moment – described by Mourinho as "a teensy bit of fear". But largely, he said, Madrid had controlled the game and he was right.
There was an authority about his team. Kaká was fluid and Cristiano Ronaldo hyperactive while goals from Gonzalo Higuaín, Ronaldo and Karim Benzema and Ronaldo again completed a comfortable passage. They also ensured that the best goal of the night, Zoran Tosic's rocket in off the bar, did not matter.
Nor ultimately had CSKA's 93rd-minute equaliser in the first leg. That had hurt but analysed coldly, 1-1 is still a good result away from home – one that set Madrid up to progress. Few doubted that they would, even when the first chance here fell to CSKA, with Seydou Doumbia smashing over the bar when one on one with Iker Casillas. It was a wonderful opportunity – to take a lead and to level up the away goals tally – and a woeful shot.
The game was only seven minutes old but CSKA had already given a couple of hints that they would not wait for Madrid. They often had two or three men ahead of the ball and combined neatly, seeking Ahmed Musa on the right. Supplied by Alan Dzagoev, he looked with a low cross for Doumbia, dashing in towards the six-yard box. But with Pepe closing in he was just unable to make contact.
There were glimpses of CSKA's danger throughout the half, not least when Casillas punched away Musa's shot, but they were largely fleeting ones and Madrid gradually took control. Ronaldo slotted an angled ball towards Mesut Ozil, who felt Sergei Ignashevic's hand and went tumbling – rather too easily for the referee's liking. Kaká had a deflected shot float over and another flash wide.
Madrid were progressing to the edge of the area but rarely further until Sami Khedira's clever clipped ball towards Kaká on the left, behind Aleksei Berezutski. Higuaín reacted quickest to nudge in the cross from a couple of yards. Ronaldo doubled the advantage from 35 yards early in the second half. In truth he probably should not even have taken the shot. But the ball swerved awkwardly and dropped in front of the CSKA goalkeeper, Sergei Chepchugov, who misjudged it horribly and succeeded only in palming it into his own net.
This looked even easier now, despite CSKA having a wonderfully worked goal ruled out for offside and Doumbia squirming free of Casillas only to scuff his shot. Benzema replaced Higuaín with 20 minutes to go and within a minute he had scored. Madrid were through. When Tosic made it 3-1 some sections of the Bernabéu applauded. They could afford to.
Many had gone by the time Pepe burst out of the defence, found Benzema and crossed for Ronaldo to round it all off with the fourth.