Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning overhead kick for his second goal of the night to help Real Madrid beat 10-man Juventus, 3-0, in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday in Turin, Italy.
Ronaldo’s first goal came in the third minute and was helped by Juventus’ defensive lapses, but his second was pure mastery with his overhead kick bringing the crowd to its feet.
And Real Madrid Coach Zinedine Zidane, himself considered one of the best players in history, clutched his head in amazement.
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“Cristiano is simply a different player than all the others,” Zidane said. “He shows that every time. He always has a great desire to do great things in the Champions League, he never gets tired of doing what he does.”
He added: “I’m the coach but also a fan. That’s why I put my hands on my head.”
In the process, Ronaldo became the first player in Champions League history to score in 10 successive matches.
He also set up Real’s third score, for Marcelo, shortly after Juventus forward Paulo Dybala had been sent off following a second yellow card.
Juventus was out for revenge after losing the final, 4-1, to Real last year. But Ronaldo, who has scored in every Champions League match this season, quickly made that a difficult task, scoring less than three minutes in.
The loss now puts Juventus in a near-impossible task to turn the quarterfinal around against Real, the two-time defending champions, in the return leg on April 11.
