Not a hint of injury or pain. Cristiano Ronaldo took care of business and kept Real Madrid in the championship race with two beautiful goals, that might tell us more about the kind of form he’s in heading into the second leg of the Champions League semifinals than what happens in the Spanish La Liga.
Only three points between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, yet there seems to be some sort of hush and dormancy when it comes to the La Liga title race. Maybe it was the weekend wrapped in the news of Tito Vilanova passing away, succumbing to cancer. But it probably has something to do with how few actually believe Atletico Madrid will drop points from now until their final match this season at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid can actually afford to drop three points from now until the end of the season (four matches left) having the head-to-head advantage over Real Madrid thanks to a win at the Santiago Bernabeu and a draw at the Vicente Calderon. Real Madrid can’t do much but simply win what’s left for them to conquer, beating Osasuna 4-0.
It wasn’t the ability that stood out, but Ronaldo’s goals. Both similar – long range, with his famous dipping shot playing tricks on Andrés Fernández. Maybe a better goalkeeper, or at least some better positioning, would have made a difference. But what has happened cannot be taken back. Ronaldo rises to 30 league goals this season, making it four consecutive seasons with so many league goals for him.
It’s going to be difficult for Real Madrid in Munich. The same kind of pressure they soaked in at the Bernabeu, only slightly different. Once again, counter attacks are going to be their weapon, and probably the only way for them to get chances. There are other key figures who need to step up, especially in the midfield and defense. However, Ronaldo is the only one who can play badly and still come out as the hero. With this kind of target practice, there’s no reason to doubt he’ll be able to score.
