adminMADRID. — Football fans tend to love one or the other. They constantly ask who is better… “Messi, his goalscoring record is unbeatable and his effortless demeanour is sumptuous to watch”. Or: “No, Ronaldo, he works harder for the team, scores better goals and has shined in a less successful side over the past few years.” But on Saturday evening, in the most important game of the season so far, for once eyes weren’t solely cast on them.
Luis Suarez’s return to football took most of the headlines pre-game, and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could shine when only half the attention was on them.
In terms of direct impact on the game, in the first-half Ronaldo scored from the spot and Messi missed from just seven yards with most of the goal to aim at – Real had Iker Casillas to thank.
Otherwise, the Portuguese superstar was quiet. Our expectations are sky high, but he was not hugely involved with the other goals in the 3-1 win at the Bernabeu.
This wasn’t the Ronaldo of the Champions League final in 2014. 3-1 up against Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo was desperate to star in Lisbon, and scored the penalty in extra-time before ripping off his shirt and producing every back page the next day.
On Saturday night he was uncharacteristically unselfish.
Some passes went astray in the final third and Real’s other stars shone. Three or four times he got himself in dangerous positions with the ball on the counter-attack, passing without looking only to find a Barca man. — Mailonline
Online Reporter