“For me it is just a privilege”

In the duel of the many footballers of the world, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a 3-0 victory with Juventus against Lionel Messis Barça and thus secured the first place in the group.

For the first time since May 2018, the two best players in recent soccer history met again. The record and title hamsters link him to nearly 1500 goals. The Argentine and his team started the race as favorites against the Portuguese.

On the one hand, the Blaugrana had not lost in the premier category since 2013, that is, 38 games, at their home Camp Nou, on the other hand, thanks to the 2-0 victory in the first leg, they were able to act without pressure. To win the group, the Italians had to score at least three goals.

Messi and Ronaldo not only shook hands before the showdown, but they gave each other a warm hug. A cute scene of the two superstars who respect each other despite all the rivalries. Ronaldo said after the game: «Messi and I have shared the last 14 years of our lives, it is always nice to face him … It is clear that people are talking about the rivalry. It’s just a privilege for me. ”In the end, however, there could only be one winner among the exceptional athletes.

The beginning of the end

The Bianconeri started out as firefighters. In the 13th minute CR7 fell after a duel in the penalty area, the referee signaled the point. Ronaldo was not asked twice. Seven minutes later, Weston McKennie made it 2-0 with a lateral pull. Barcelona had never conceded two goals in the first 20 minutes of a Champions League home game.

It was only after the scare that the home team seemed to wake up. Lionel Messi personally took the scepter in his hand or feet and pushed the ball forward so that the guest was more busy with defensive work. But the Italian fortress held out halfway.

Shortly after the restart, things got even better for coach Andrea Pirlo’s team – penalty. Ronaldo also seized the second chance from the point with ease. Never before had a player booked two penalties in the royal box against the Catalans.

The statistics speak for themselves

After all, Barça did not give in despite the deficit and continued to attack Juve’s goal, but the ball never reached the net. Messi only shot Gigi Buffon seven (!) Times, but the 42-year-old master was victorious in every match. So Messi couldn’t get rid of his recent shooting problems outside the game. The 33-year-old should be credited for his attitude: the captain showed commitment and, as before his weakness, was the focal point of his team. By the way, his teammates didn’t get a single shot on goal.

Statistically, after the end of the game, “the flea” was left behind with his archrival. After his double, Ronaldo now has 134 goals in the Champions League and extended his lead there to Messi (118). Although there wasn’t much to see from Ronaldo other than his penalties, he left the field as the clear winner due to the result.

“Ronaldo was extremely motivated and really wanted to put in a good performance against his eternal rival,” Pirlo said. As a reward, the old lady’s marketing department worked hard for him. After the first leg, Barça joked on Twitter: “We are glad you saw GOAT (the greatest of all time) on the field.” At that moment, Juve replied: “You probably looked for the wrong dictionary, in any case we will bring you the right GOAT to the Camp Nou.”

The Italians were able to say with enthusiasm on Tuesday evening: “We are true to our word: we brought it to you!” The tweet, of course, is accompanied by the goat emoji.