Cristiano Ronaldo dominating and celebrating at the Camp Nou – a scene, which is etched in the memories of the football fans for the last ten years. It took a break for two years and last night, Cristiano Ronaldo picked up right where he left off at the Camp Nou on Tuesday as he terrorized Barcelona once again at their home stadium.
Ronaldo made his long-awaited return to the stadium on Tuesday as he faced Barcelona for the first time since leaving Real Madrid in 2018.
During his time in La Liga, Ronaldo proved one of Barcelona's all-time great rivals as the Portuguese's Real Madrid frequently did battle with Lionel Messi's Barcelona.
Cristiano decided to move from Spain and chose Turin as his new home. The big man always relishes new challenges and in Juventus, he wants to elevate his legendary status to the next level. While the story of Messi is becoming dependent on media hype, the outcry of a bunch of blind fan-boys and drama; Cristiano is proving his worth through deeds.
Cristiano returned to Camp Nou and as soon as he set foot on his happy hunting ground, Messi was overshadowed. None could find him on the pitch because Cristiano was shining so brightly that it outshone the floodlights and those who were playing under that.
Ronaldo fired two goals in what ended as a lopsided 3-0 Juventus win as he was joined by Weston McKennie on the score-sheet.
His first came in the 13th minute came via a penalty while his second, which was scored in the 52nd minute, was also fired from the spot.
With the goals, Ronaldo has scored 14 goals at the Camp Nou in all competitions, more than at any other away stadium in his club career - while the double also put him past the 650-mark overall.
Additionally, Ronaldo became the first player in the history of the Champions League to convert twice from the spot at Barcelona's home ground.
In the battle between Cristiano Ronald and Lionel Messi – Ronaldo had the final say. Even though, Messi had more shots (11), more shots on target (7), more touches (125), and more duels (19) than any other player on the pitch. But, what people would notice and which is, whether such things could create an impact on the outcome of the match.
Cristiano scored two decisive goals, and it decided the fate of the match.
It was just like a Lion sleeping all day and then when he woke up and went out of his den to hunt – the others became his prey.
The story of Cristiano had such last night - Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice, both from the penalty spot, after taking just three shots in total.
It’s all about having the attitude of a Lion and not some timid creature.
In terms of their Champions League standing, Tuesday's loss harmed Barcelona, who finished second in the group with Juventus finishing top.
Juve and Barca finished level on 15 points, having only lost to one another throughout this group stage run.
However, Juventus have gone top on head-to-head results, despite their 2-0 loss to Barca in their first clash.
Both will move on to the knockout stages, although Barca will do so on the heels of a historic loss, which saw them concede two goals in the first 20 minutes of a Champions League home game for the first time ever.
After the victory last night, Juventus became the first Italian side ever to score at least three goals at the Camp Nou in the UEFA competition.
Once upon a time, Barcelona could be counted on to get the job done on the field regardless of external factors but those days are long gone, and the club is right now swimming in murky waters.
Ronald Koeman's 'dream' appointment has slowly become a nightmare and at this rate, it is highly unlikely that he would see out the campaign.
This defeat to Juventus marked the club's fifth loss from just 15 games in all competitions this season, while they currently occupy the unfamiliar position of ninth on the table.
Considering the successes the club has enjoyed in the last 15 years, this is a far from ideal position to be in, and things have to start turning around quickly.
After falling to a 3-0 second-leg defeat at Camp Nou to complete a 7-0 rout against Bayern Munich in 2013, the Blaugrana did not lose again at home for over six years to set a new record for the longest unbeaten run at home in Champions League history.
Their 5-1 win over Lyon in March 2019 saw them surpass the previous mark of 29 set by the Bavarians between 1998 and 2002. Since then, Barcelona went an extra eight games without defeat to set a new record of 38 before the reversal to Juventus at Camp Nou.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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