the Champions League by scoring two goals to give Real Madrid a
2-1 win against 10-man Juventus on Wednesday.
The Portugal forward angled a shot behind goalkeeper Gianluigi
Buffon to score in the fourth minute from a sublime pass by
Angel Di Maria.
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal then pulled down Sergio Ramos in
the area and Ronaldo confidently converted the penalty in the
29th for his seventh Champions League goal this season.
Fernando Llorente had equalized for Juventus seven minutes
earlier by squeezing the ball between goalkeeper Iker Casillas and
the post in the 22nd. Llorente, a former Atheltic Bilbao player,
has now scored six goals against Madrid, including three at the
Santiago Bernabeu.
''We had good control of the game, and with one man extra we
didn't need any more intensity,'' Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini was sent off in the 48th on a
straight red card for hitting Ronaldo in the face with his hand as
he vied for the ball shoulder-to-shoulder, but the Portugal
forward missed the resulting free kick.
''It was a very serious and rigorous decision,'' Juventus coach
Antonio Conte said. ''I'm told it was likely taken because Chiellini
was the last man in front of goal, I don't know about that.''
The win gives Madrid nine points from three games and a
commanding lead in Group B, where Galatasaray is second on four
points and Juventus is stuck on two.
Ancelotti began the match with Karim Benzema as the sole
striker and with Di Maria on the right instead of the benched star
signing Gareth Bale. Luka Modric was in the middle and Ronaldo
covered the left flank.
Conte started with Llorente up front, flanked by Carlos Tevez
and Claudio Marchisio.
Casillas had to save a stinging shot by Marchisio in the third
minute, before Di Maria's masterful pass to Ronaldo sliced
through Juventus' flat-footed offside trap to set up the opener
- highlighting Ancelotti's difficult choice between playing the
Argentina winger or Bale.
''I don't think the team helped him to gain access to the ball this
evening,'' Ancelotti said about Bale, who has been struggling with
an injury since joining from Tottenham and came on as a second-
half substitute. ''But I think he is now finally ready to begin a
game.''
Casillas, who has been benched in the league but is Ancelotti's
first choice goalkeeper in the European competition, came out
quickly to punch out a shot on target by Llorente in the 13th.
Illarramendi then conceded a free kick which Juventus tried to
score from by playing a rehearsed set piece which Madrid cleared
after Tevez missed his shot.
Tevez dribbled past Di Maria on the left flank, rushed into the
penalty area and shot just wide of the far top corner in the
15th.
After a period of sustained pressure by Juventus, Andrea Pirlo
raced forward and just missed the target in the 33rd with
Casillas having to save Tevez's shot a minute later.
Conte reinforced his team's defense by substituting Llorente
with Leonardo Bonucci and later by bringing on Kwadwo Asamoah
for Pirlo.
Mindful that Madrid is to play archrival Barcelona in the Spanish
league on Saturday, Ancelotti substituted Benzema in the 67th to
bring on Bale.
Buffon saved a shot from Sami Khedira in the 72nd.
