Ronaldo, hands on his head with a sneer of suffering summarizing the extent of the disappointment: the photo was on Wednesday in the Italian press after a victory (3-2 after extra time) insufficient to erase the defeat of the first leg (1 -2).
“Betrayed by Ronaldo”, even titled the Corriere dello sport.
This cry from the heart sums up the feeling of the Bianconeri supporters accustomed to seeing the Portuguese put on his superhero clothes, as two years ago in the round of 16 when he single-handedly overthrew Atlético Madrid (3-0) after a first leg defeat (0-2). Or as in December to offer first place in the group to the Bianconeri with a double in Barcelona (0-3).
But there was no miracle this time against Porto. “CR7” was almost invisible – as on the first leg – against his ex-Madrid teammate Pepe: an assist for Federico Chiesa and that’s almost it.
For the rest, we saw him annoyed against his partners (Chiesa insulted after only ten minutes), annoyed by the arbitration decisions (even if he could perhaps, as on the first leg, benefit from a penalty) , too eager to shoot in complicated positions …
A hole in the wall
Worse: Ronaldo was caught in the swing by Fabio Capello, now a consultant on Sky Sport, for turning around and leaving a gaping hole in the Turin wall on Porto’s decisive free kick during extra time. “An unforgivable mistake,” said the former Milan coach.
We are very far from the praise that generally accompanies the evenings in the Champions League for the competition’s top scorer (134 goals).
Ronaldo, after the first C1 with Manchester United and the years of glory at Real Madrid (4 Champions Leagues won between 2014 and 2018), joined Juve in 2018 with the firm intention of winning it again with a third club.
The Bianconeri were counting on the star to find a trophy that has eluded them for 25 years.
But it’s missed: after three seasons punctuated by three early eliminations against weaker opponents on paper (Ajax Amsterdam in quarterfinals in 2019, Lyon in eighth in 2020 and Porto), it is clear that the contract does not is not filled.
And if he had weighed so far, the 210 scoreless minutes against the Dragons is stain.
Until 2022?
In three European campaigns in bianconero, Ronaldo has scored a total of 14 times, less than in his last season alone in Madrid (15 goals).
And with this elimination, he will have to wait to beat the record for the number of matches played in C1, stopping for the moment at 176, at a meeting of the 177 of Iker Casillas.
Andrea Pirlo, after having assured that this match was for him, did not overwhelm him: “With him, we usually start with a goal in advance, but it can also happen to the greatest champions not to score”.
The Turin coach now relies on “CR7”, at the top of the Serie A scorers standings (20 goals), to revive Juve in the league (currently 3rd) and try to save the season.
Still, the question will undoubtedly arise as to whether the (very expensive) marriage between Ronaldo and Juve should continue until the planned term, in June 2022. Or if the “Old Lady” must clearly continue the rejuvenation launched this season, without the 36-year-old Portuguese and maybe without Giorgio Chiellini, same age.
Andrea Pirlo, despite this first big disappointment, assured hot that he intends to continue the “project” launched in September.
With, despite the disaster of Tuesday, good news: the rise of Federico Chiesa, author of a double after the already important goal of the first leg. It wasn’t enough but, at 23, he seems to be the one Juve now relies on.
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