RON GETS THE CLAP
A BRILLIANT overhead kick from Cristiano Ronaldo crushed Juventus and won the applause of stunned home fans.
The Portugal superstar hit a double before Marcelo put Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid within touching distance of the semi-finals.
Ronaldo became the first player to score in 10 consecutive Champions League matches when he gave the defending champs a third-minute lead.
Marcelo fed Isco down the left and his cutback fell to Ronaldo who guided the ball beyond Gianluigi Buffon for his 13th goal of this season’s tournament.
The Bianconeri, beaten in last May’s final in Cardiff, began to regroup and only a brilliant reaction save from keeper Keylor Navas denied Gonzalo Higuain an equaliser in 23 minutes.
Real almost scored again when a 20-yard effort from Toni Kroos crashed off the bar. In 54 minutes captain Sergio Ramos picked up a yellow for fouling Paulo Dybala, which rules him out of the return in Spain.
Ronaldo doubled Real’s lead 10 minutes later with a goal of the highest quality.
A mix-up between Giorgio Chiellini and Buffon saw Lucas Vazquez denied by a flying recovery save from the keeper.
Buffon though could only stand and watch as Dani Carvajal floated a cross in from the right which Ronaldo, with his back to goal, dispatched into the top corner with a perfectly-executed overhead kick.
The calibre of the finish left Zidane shaking his head in disbelief, while the Juve fans applauded.
Dybala, who had been booked for diving in the first half, was sent off for clattering into Carvajal with a high boot.
Marcelo bundled in No.3 in the 72nd minute after a one-two with Ronaldo.