Late Ronaldo penalty prevents another Italian Job
Just when it looked like Juventus would pull off another stunning Champions League comeback,
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up once again.
Ronaldo converted a penalty kick deep into injury time to send Real Madrid through to the semi-finals for the eighth straight season despite a 3-1 home loss to Juventus on Wednesday.
The goal was enough to give the two-time defending champion a 4-3 aggregate win and avoid nerve-racking extra time after the Italian side had erased a seemingly insurmountable deficit from the first leg.
“It was a match in which we suffered,” Ronaldo said. “It shows that nothing is a given in football, you have to fight until the end. We didn’t play well, we have to admit. But in the end we deserved to advance.”
A day after seeing Spanish rivals Barcelona blow a threegoal advantage against Roma in Italy, Madrid nearly did the same. But Juventus’ heroics came up just short after substitute Lucas Vazquez appeared to be pushed from behind inside the area in the third and final minute of stoppage time.
Ronaldo, in his 150th Champions League appearance, then netted his 120th goal in the competition by converting the penalty with a firm shot into the top corner. He celebrated by taking off his shirt and running toward the euphoric Madrid crowd.
Ronaldo has scored 21 goals in his last 11 matches in all competitions, and has netted in 11 straight Champions League matches.
“We didn’t expect to concede an early goal like that,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “That allowed their team to grow and it made things difficult for us.”
Ronaldo, in his 150th Champions League game, netted his 120th goal in the competition by converting the penalty.