Ronaldo keeps Real Madrid alive in Champions League
MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty kick deep into injury time to send Real Madrid through to the semifinals 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 rival Barcelona blow a three-goal 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.
Veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, in what was likely his last Champions League game, was then sent off for furiously complaining after the penalty decision. The Madrid crowd at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium gave Buffon a standing ovation as he left the field.
“Life goes on,” Buffon said. “I'm happy and proud of how we played, we made the impossible possible. It's a shame it ends like this.”
In the night's other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich advanced with a 0-0 home draw against Sevilla as the newly crowned Bundesliga champions defended a 2-1 advantage from the first leg. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Injury sidelines UH’s Mitchell
University of Houston running back Davion Mitchell will need six to eight weeks to recover from a shoulder injury, coach Major Applewhite said.
Mitchell, a sophomore from Rockdale, saw limited action in four games last season. He had 10 carries for 38 yards and added one reception. GOLF Feng leads in Hawaii with 67
Top-ranked Shanshan Feng birdied three of her last five holes to take the lead after the first round of the Lotte Championship at Kapolei, Hawaii.
The Chinese star finished at 5-under 67 at windy Ko Olina Golf Club.
Haeji Kang, Brooke M. Henderson and Martina Edberg were tied for second, one shot behind Feng.
Lizette Salas, who lost a playoff here in 2013, bogeyed her final hole to shoot 69. She was tied for fifth place with Kia Classic winner EunHee Ji, Alena Sharp, Mo Martin, Inbee Park and Julieta Granada.
Defending champion Cristie Kerr shot 71. She played with 2014 Lotte winner Michelle Wie, the home-state star who double-bogeyed her 15th hole to finish the round at even par. MOTOR SPORTS NASCAR to test restrictor plates
NASCAR will test a different aerodynamic package in next month's All-Star race in which the cars will have restrictor plates at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The plates are used to choke horsepower and slow speeds, and are used at Daytona and Talladega, the two biggest and fastest tracks.
The aero package that will be used in the May 19 All-Star race is the same that NASCAR tried in the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last year. That race saw record numbers in leaders, lead changes and green flag passes.
For the All-Star race each car will be fitted with aero ducts, a 6inch-high spoiler with two 12-inch ears, a restrictor plate and the 2014 style splitter. The format for the $1 million exhibition is four stages — 30 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps and a final 10 lap shootout for the grand prize.