He might be one of the best footballers of all time, but Cristiano Ronaldo won’t go down as one of the classiest. The Real Madrid superstar scored twice to help them beat Juventus 2-1, but on the way added an embarrassing dive by running into Giorgio Chiellini and his outstretched arm, getting the Italian defender sent off.
Ronaldo did plenty of good in the match as well: He scored two goals in the first half to give Real Madrid the win; the first after a brilliant assist from Angel di Maria and the second from a penalty kick, that was the correct call. However, for those looking for more from the footballers they love, Ronaldo once again disappointed by taking the easy way out, which unfortunately is usually something referees miss.
In the second half, as Ronaldo could have beaten Chiellini on speed alone, he decided to run into Chiellini’s arm. The Italian centre back did try and deny Ronaldo a forward motion by blocking him with his arm, but he didn’t elbow him or hit him. Instead, Ronaldo deliberately ran into Chiellini’s arm. He was hardly brushed, but he didn’t miss the opportunity to clutch his own face and make the most out of the situation. Chiellini was sent off, and Juventus didn’t look close to coming back from one goal down.
Ronaldo scored his 57th Champions League goal, moving past Ruud Van Nistelrooy and reaching third on the all-time list, five goals behind Lionel Messi and a few more behind the all-time leader, Raul. It was also his 7th goals in the competition this season in only three matches. Only one other player: Filippo Inzaghi in the 2002-2003 season for AC Milan, has managed to score so much in such a short time to kick off the season.