Cristiano Ronaldo goes from hero to zero despite Real victory in Supercopa clash
Los Blancos win the first leg 3-1 at the Nou Camp.
Cristiano Ronaldo went from hero to villain in the space of two minutes as Real Madrid won the first El Clasico of the season with a 3-1 victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Left out of the starting line-up for this first leg of the Supercopa de Espana, Ronaldo’s brilliant effort from range had restored Real’s lead with 10 minutes remaining, but he was sent off shortly afterwards having picked up two yellow cards in quick succession.
To compound matters, the Portugal forward – linked with a move away from the Bernabeu this summer – then pushed referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea after being shown a red card.
Gerard Pique’s own goal had put Real ahead after a low-key first half, but in a frantic finish Lionel Messi equalised from the spot before Ronaldo struck, with Marco Asensio grabbing a last-minute third for the 10 men.
Tweet of the match
Star man – Isco
Ronaldo and Asensio both scored superb goals, but it was the Spain midfielder who pulled the strings and outshone international team-mate Andres Iniesta. The 25-year-old was at the heart of all of Madrid’s good work.
Moan of the match
Ronaldo’s theatrics. If taking his shirt off to celebrate restoring his side’s lead was unnecessary, the exaggerated appeals for a penalty after minimal contact with Samuel Umtiti on the edge of the box less than two minutes later were daft. Ronaldo was off-balance and would probably not have been booked had he not opted for a spot of gamesmanship. Pushing the referee on his way off the pitch could land the 32-year-old in trouble with the authorities.
Moment of the match
Ronaldo’s goal would have been worthy of moment of the match in most games, but he was upstaged in the closing seconds by Marco Asensio’s thunderbolt. Having picked the ball up in a deep position as Real countered, the 21-year-old twisted and turned to send Jordi Alba one way then the other before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed drive that beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen at his near post.
Ratings
Who’s up next
Real Madrid v Barcelona (Supercopa second leg, Wednesday August 16)
