Schalke are into the last eight of the Champions League after beating Valencia 3-1, and 4-2 on aggregate, on Wednesday.
Jefferson Farfan’s fine free kick, and a later effort from the Peruvian international, helped the hosts through as they came from behind at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena. Mario Gavranovic also found the net for the Bundesliga side after Ricardo Costa had put Los Che ahead.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg three weeks ago, it was the side from La Liga who would break the night’s deadlock.
Gavranovic had just made a mess of a free header for the hosts to waste a glorious chance and was punished. Mehmet Topal got free on the Valencia left and swung in a cross that Costa guided beyond Manuel Neuer from the edge of the six-yard box.
Champions League legend Raul headed wide as Schalke rallied, but they were level on 40 minutes after winning a free-kick that Farfan brilliantly curled beyond Vicente Guaita from outside the area.
That meant the tie was completely all square at half-time with a score that would have heralded extra-time and penalties.
In the end the tie was settled over 180 minutes though. Any chance of extra-time was banished just seven minutes after the restart as Guaita spilled Farfan’s cross in his area. He then denied Farfan’s effort at the rebound, but the ball fell for Swiss U21 international Gavranovic, whose effort hit both posts before going over the line.
An equaliser to that would still have put Valencia through on away goals, but Aritz Aduriz was denied by both the woodwork and Neuer, and Tino Costa and Juan Mata also missed chances.
Gavranovic hit the woodwork twice with two innovative efforts, but he need not have worried as Farfan finished Valencia off in stoppage-time as he broke clear and dinked the ball over Guaita and the line.