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Real Madrid joined Juventus in the last 16 of the Champions League as a solitary Raul goal saw them past BATE Borisov in Minsk.

Following Juventus' goalless draw at Zenit St Petersburg, the Spanish giants knew a win against the Belarussians would see them progress to the last 16.

Although still missing the injured Ruud van Nistelrooy and Fabio Cannavaro, Real still had the luxury of fielding the considerable talents of Wesley Sneijder, Pepe and Raul - and the Madrid side stormed out of the blocks.

There were early signs of the battle to come as Royston Drenthe tussled with Anri Khagush on the right as BATE tried to come to grips with the Real man, but they were caught napping with just seven minutes gone.

Drenthe flew down the left wing and although his cross was miskicked by Javier Saviola, the ball squeezed through to Raul who scored with the help of the crossbar.

Igor Stasevich fired a warning to Real with a shot past Iker Casillas' post, but Real almost doubled their money seven minutes later.

Pepe's cross was floated to the far post to the waiting Raul but his mishit shot allowed Sergei Veremko to palm it round.

Drenthe was a constant threat to the Belarussians and after being felled by Khagush, the winger's floated free kick just eluded the leaping Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

With Casillas largely a spectator at the other end, there was every reason for the away fans to hope for an increase on their 1-0 half time lead.

Real made BATE wait in the freezing conditions before they emerged from their warm dressing room, and the delay seemed to fire up the hosts who enjoyed their best spell of the match.

Aleksandr Yurevich almost threaded a ball through the white back line before Sergei Kryvets was flagged offside as he tried to get on the end of another floated pass.

Gennadi Bliznuyk dragged the ball wide of Casillas' post when Khagush's clever back-heel gave him space, while at the other end, Raul forced Veremko to tip a left-foot strike onto and over the bar.

Real continued to give BATE hope of a breakthrough with a host of fouls but sub Maksim Skayvish wasted their best free-kick opportunity from a central position around 25 yards out when he only could find the Real wall.

Despite five minutes of stoppage time, the brave Belarussians were unable to find a way through in their inaugural Champions League campaign and it is the Spaniards who progress.

Zenit St Petersburg 0-0 Juventus

Juventus held UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg to a goalless draw to book their place in the knockout phase.

Both sides had superb chances to win the match but a combination of wasteful finishing by Juve's Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero, and Zenit's Danny, with good goalkeeping by Alex Manninger and Igor Malafeev meant neither side could break the deadlock.

The hosts may have had more possession in the first half, but Juventus possessed more quality and created by far the better opportunities.

The Bianconeri missed chance after chance and should have been four up by the hour mark.

Mauro Camoranesi's delivery from set-pieces was particularly dangerous, and Iaquinta sent a free header over the bar as early as the second minute, while Olof Mellberg powered a similar effort against the woodwork on 10 minutes.

Iaquinta again spurned a clear chance when he rifled a shot against the post after a one-touch move midway through the first half, while Camoranesi volleyed wide after he was found at the far post by a Del Piero chest-down.

Malafeev was also forced into action on several occasions. He saved well from Pavel Nedved in the first half and, just after the restart, denied Del Piero in a multi-opportunity move that saw Momo Sissoko have a shot blocked and Nedved hammer a rising drive over the bar.

The Russia international keeper made another smart stop from Del Piero's 54th-minute shot but the Italy veteran missed the chance of the game soon afterwards.

A Juventus counter after the subsequent corner was cleared and Iaquinta was sent totally free on the right wing and found Del Piero unmarked in the box.

But the 33-year-old forward somehow put a simple finish wide from six yards out.

The horror-miss was followed by a switch in momentum, with Juve stunned by their inability to convert while Zenit took hope from the let off and pushed for an opener.

Until that point their only chances were long-range efforts by Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Konstantin Zyryanov that Manninger saved smartly.

But first Danny took too many touches when a delightful pass by Andrei Arshavin put him clean through and allowed Claudio Marchisio to clear, and then second later Pavel Pogrebnyak sent a stunning curling shot off the post.

Arshavin was surprisingly taken off soon afterwards in what could be his last act in a Zenit shirt, and the home revival predictably stuttered.

Referee Claus Bo Larsen was guilty of an error when he played to play advantage after Nedved was fouled by Tymoschuk: Iaquinta had been played clean through and Del Piero sent the free-kick straight at Malafeev.

Portuguese winger Danny poked inches wide for the hosts while Iaquinta was lucky to stay on the pitch after a clear elbow on Tymoschuk.

Manninger made another impressive stop from a Radek Sirl cross-shot, while Danny was denied by good defending from Mellberg as the game ended in a stalemate.

Ian Hare, Reda Maher / Eurosport