SPECIAL RON RUINS ROMA . . .
Goal answers critics
CRISTIANO RONALDO answered his critics last night by striking a first away goal since November to put Real Madrid in control of their Champions League last-16 tie against Roma. The Portugal forward, who stormed out of a press conference on the eve of the match when asked about his scoring drought, bent in the opening goal at the Stadio Olimpico on 57 minutes. Jese Rodriguez made it 2-0 to Real late on. Back in Spain, Lionel Messi (left) bagged his 300th and 301st La Liga goals as Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon 3-1.
THERE were no ‘little kisses’ but there were plenty of hugs for Cristiano Ronaldo in Rome’s Olympic Stadium when he scored a crucial away goal for Real Madrid in their win over Roma last night.
Ronaldo had been unhappy in the build-up to Zinedine Zidane’s managerial Champions League debut, raging against the ‘little hugs and kisses’ between Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar and insisting there was nothing wrong with his ability to score goals away from home.
He did his talking on the pitch just before the hour mark when a Marcelo pass sent him charging down the left. Ronaldo skipped inside on to his right foot and sent an unstoppable shot past Wojciech Szczesny in the Roma goal before sprinting across to the technical area where he was embraced by his coach and mobbed by team- mates. The result lifts the gloom that descended on Madrid in the buildup to the game.
They were missing the incisive running of Gareth Bale, who is out with a calf injury, and it appears his €100million transfer from Tottenham could be investigated in the European Parliament after MEPs asked the European Commission to look into the involvement of the Spanish bank Bankia in the deal.
Bankia received around €18billion of taxpayers’ money when it was bailed out and their involvement in the transfer could constitute illegal state aid.
Ronaldo was fired up from the start and he had their first chance with a free-kick that went wide of on-loan Arsenal keeper Szczesny’s goal. The first period had been as grey as Real Madrid’s kit and Ronaldo had endured the added insult of Roma fans chanting Messi’s name at him whenever he touched the ball. But he had the last laugh with that crucial second-half goal.
Substitute Jese Rodriguez clinched victory and made Madrid clear favourites to win the tie by scoring the second with four minutes to play.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg are favourites to reach the quarter-finals after a 3-2 win at Gent. Julian Draxler scored twice, with Max Kruse making it 3-0. But Sven Kums and Kalifa Coulibaly gave the Belgian side late hope.