Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo puts Real Madrid up against Roma (video)

Roma had been playing a solid effort all day, keeping Real Madrid in a cage, but that came to a screeching halt when Cristiano Ronaldo fired this beauty.

You know what they say, you can’t keep Cristiano Ronaldo in a cage forever. Prior to the match on Wednesday, a reporter asked the Portuguese super star why he can’t score lately, particularly in the away matches. It hit Ronaldo so deep that he answered curtly and removed himself from the premises.

Nothing quite like poking the sleeping bear.

Roma were playing an admirable affair against one of the three masterclass squads in the world. They absorbed the pressure and hit on the counter – rinse and repeat. In fact, Real Madrid were not even able to land their first shot on goal until the 53rd minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not having a fun time against Roma at the onset. He was being knocked around the pitch, to the delight of the Italian fans. It was clear that Roma was either incapable of dealing with the superstar or they just wanted to keep knocking him down.

Whatever the case, it prolonged the inevitable. After a beautiful pass from Marcelo, Ronaldo set himself up for a premium cut back and fired on goal. What looked like a splendid, curling effort was actually clipped by Florenzi but it hit the back of the goal nonetheless. Have a look:

All of a sudden, this game had a brand new motive. Away goals are always crucial, so any hope that Roma had of upsetting the Spanish side at their capital was greatly put off by the goal. They would have to pull out something massive to make their improbable dream a reality.

While credit has to go to Cristiano Ronaldo for the cutback and for even taking the shot, it was the pass from Marcelo that set up the entire process.