The game itself had lacked spice. Real Madrid's passage to the semi-finals of the Champions League was already assured on Wednesday and the play was pedestrian at times against APOEL at the Santiago Bernabeu. But it did eventually liven up as the goals flew in at both ends after the break and the game finished 5-2 in Madrid's favour and 8-2 on aggregate. It was the capital club's ninth win in 10 Champions League matches this season, while Cristiano Ronaldo's double took the Portuguese forward to 49 in all competitions this term. He, Gonzalo Higuain and the rested Karim Benzema also have 101 strikes between them following last night's match, as Madrid reached 150 goals overall in 2011-12. But after overcoming Ajax, Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb, CSKA Moscow and now APOEL, the serious business starts for Madrid in Europe. Quarter-final success means Los Blancos are guaranteed at least one trip to Munich, scene of this season's showpiece in the Champions League, as they face Bayern over two legs in the last four of the competition. And if it turns out to be two trips to the Allianz Arena for the Spanish side in 2011-12, a fantastic final awaits against Madrid's fiercest of foes, Barcelona, or Mourinho's old club, Chelsea. According to the Portuguese, however, only the first outcome is a possibility. With the match on Wednesday lacking drama, Mourinho proved the protagonist once again. In a post-match interview, he told Telemadrid: "For me the big question is knowing who will play against Barca in the final. It will be a great semi-final, Bayern against Real Madrid, and the best team will go on to play against Barca." And then he walked off. "Hang on, don't go, we're in an interview here," the reporter replied. Back in view, Mourinho was then asked why he was so sure Barca will be in the final. "Because they are very good," he added. And then he was gone again. Later, in the press room, the Portuguese described the Catalans as "super favourites" to win the competition. But his message, although vague, had been crystal clear: Mourinho believes Barca are already in the final, whatever happens on the football pitches at Stamford Bridge and Camp Nou. Chelsea and the Catalans met in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2008-09, when Andres Iniesta's last-gasp strike in London gave Pep Guardiola's side an away-goal victory and saw the Blaugrana advance to the final of the competition in the coach's first season in charge. But that match was shrouded in controversy as the Blues saw several penalty appeals waved away long before Iniesta's intervention. Didier Drogba called it a "disgrace". Mourinho went further in his press-room rant last season, labeling the affair "the scandal of Stamford Bridge". The coach's outburst had come after his side had lost out to Barca in the first leg of the European semi-final last season, when they went down 2-0 at home following Pepe's controversial dismissal for fouling Dani Alves, even though television footage remains inconclusive as to whether contact was actually made or not. Then, Mourinho claimed that Uefa had wanted Barcelona in the final, while he also questioned the Catalans' agreement with Unicef and added that he would have been 'ashamed' to win a Champions League title as Guardiola had done after events against Chelsea, and then versus Madrid. Clearly, his opinion remains unchanged, and was perhaps further fueled after Barca benefited from a controversial call against Milan in their own quarter-final clash on Tuesday. So as bigger battles now await, including the real possibility of a captivating Clasico clash in the Champions League final, the Mourinho mind games begin again in earnest. And while Madrid and Chelsea were sealing passage to the last four on Wednesday, Guardiola was spotted at the theatre. The real show, however, starts here.