Champions League: Three talking points from Real Madrid’s win over Roma
By Ryan Wrenn
Ronaldo’s moment
Spalletti made a point to say before the match that he would not direct his Roma players to double or triple cover Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar forward would, in effect, be treated like any other player on the pitch.
For the most part, Roma lived up to this promise. Their defense was more rigid and holistic, the type of system that wouldn’t overemphasize any one area of the pitch over another. And, surprisingly, the gambit seemed to work.
Right up until it didn’t.
A pass from Marcelo in the 56th minute allowed Ronaldo to run into space down Roma’s flank, cut back inside the penalty area and send a curling effort into the far corner Wojciech Szczęsny’s goal. It was a singularly amazing effort, the kind of goal that Ronaldo has become known for.
Prior to that golazo though, Ronaldo had not exactly been at his best. Alessandro Florenzi stayed tight on the Portugeuse and kept his chances poor. Ronaldo’s goal was his only shot on target of the night, though he made six efforts in total.
That, in a way, is part of why Ronaldo is as great as he is. He doesn’t need to do almost everything with a high degree of competency like, say, Lionel Messi. He just needs to be capable of one astounding moment of majesty, one kick of the ball that flips the narrative of a match on its head. And that is what he delivered on Wednesday night.