Cristiano Ronaldo scored arguably one of the greatest goals in the history of soccer when Real Madrid played Juventus in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Real were the visitors at Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, on April 3, and it only took three minutes for Madrid’s highest goal scorer to strike. The striker converted Isco’s low cross from the left wing, scoring his fastest goal in the competition. The rest of the first half was end-to-end stuff with Juventus not being able to apply the killer touch. There was no doubt the home team had a lot to do after the break but their chances of scoring continued to dwindle with every missed opportunity.
Ronaldo’s dominance of the Champions League is undeniable; the competition’s highest goal scorer reminded the world of his greatness with a stunning bicycle kick in the 64th minute. The strike earned the applause of the home fans and broke the internet with reactions from fans and soccer’s greats. According to BBC , Coach Zinedine Zidane had his “hand to his head, a look of disbelief on his face at what he had just seen, he turned and bellowed his approval.”
“As a player, the Frenchman scored plenty of stunning goals himself in Turin – but what he had just witnessed from Cristiano Ronaldo was special.”
The third goal was scored by Marcelo from a Ronaldo pass in the 72nd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo, 33, could have scored a hat trick but the away team were victorious, winning the game 3-0. Securing the away win with three away goals, making it almost impossible for Juventus to qualify for the next round of the competition. After the match, the Juventus keeper Buffon congratulated Ronaldo and asked to swap shirts with him. It wasn’t only the fans but also Juventus’ coach Massimiliano Allegri hailed the extraordinary goal , according to The Guardian .
“I don’t know if Cristiano’s goal is the best in the history of football but it’s certainly an extraordinary goal. You can only congratulate him for what he’s doing at present,”
Ronaldo became the first player to score in 10 consecutive Champions League matches when Real swept into an early lead, The Guardian said. Juventus will be visiting Madrid on Wednesday, March 11 for the second leg of the tie.
According to the BBC , Ronaldo has scored 19 goals in his past nine games for Real – 25 in his past 13 for club and country. He has scored 39 goals in 36 games for Real this season – more goals than anyone else who plays in one of Europe’s top five leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain). The striker has scored in his last 10 Champions League games – all nine this season and last year’s final – netting 16 times in that run. Ronaldo is the Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 119 – 19 clear of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
He has scored nine of his past 11 shots on target against legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Ronaldo has scored the first Real Madrid goal of a Champions League game in 10 of the past 14 games. He has scored 22 goals in Champions League quarterfinals, one more than Juventus. Only five teams, including Real Madrid, have scored more. Ronaldo has either scored (14) or assisted (three) 68 percent of Real’s 25 Champions League goals this season.
He has scored in each of his six games against Juventus – nine goals in total. No player has more against a single opponent in the Champions League.