SANTIAGO BERNABEU, Madrid — What was most brutal about Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick was that he didn't even have to try. It was the easiest treble he will ever score.
Shakhtar Donetsk sunk 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid kicked off their Champions League campaign in emphatic fashion, thanks to Ronaldo's goals and another from Karim Benzema.
Two of Ronaldo's strikes were penalties; the third was a header from just a few yards out, after the hapless Andriy Pyatov palmed out Marcelo's long-range strike.
Ronaldo had earned the first spot-kick, with it being his strike that Darijo Srna allegedly handled, even though replays showed it had hit the Croatian square in the back.
The second came after a clearer handball and was dispatched by Ronaldo much in the same fashion as he did the first, low and hard, into the bottom left corner.
His detractors will say that they don't count; they're not real goals. But dispatching penalties is a skill, and Ronaldo has done so 11 times in the Champions League, excluding shoot-outs, which is a record.
And it's another record that he's closing in on. The one he is desperate for.
Ronaldo is now only two goals away from matching legend Raul Gonzalez's 323 goals in a Madrid shirt, in all competitions.
He has done it in far fewer games, 304 compared to Raul's 741. That in itself is ridiculous. It borders on unbelievable.
A caveat to that is that some sources, including Marca and Real Madrid themselves, say Ronaldo has 322 goals already. But the extra strike, a goal against Real Sociedad in 2011, was clearly deflected off Pepe. It was officially given to the defender.
In the game against Shakhtar he looked sharp, as sharp as you would expect from a man who has scored eight goals in his last two games.
Ronaldo's perfect through-ball for Karim Benzema should have helped his side open the scoring, but the Frenchman fired well over after rounding Pyatov.
His general work on the ball was impressive, and Ronaldo gave little ammunition to the critics who think all he does now is lurk in the box for tap-ins.
Of course, his game has changed in many ways now that he is 30, compared to five years ago. He moves less, beats fewer opponents and darts down the wings infrequently.
But he is still one of the world's two finest players, and almost every footballing move he makes is touched with class that other players can only dream of.
A perfect piece of control in the first half was only let down by a strike that flew wide of the near post.
Ronaldo spoke after the game, obliged to as he was given UEFA's man of the match award, a day after he refused to be part of the pre-match press conference, per AS.
However, he will probably be more willing to do so again on Saturday, to celebrate matching or breaking the record.
That may seem pre-emptive, but Madrid host Granada, a team they thumped 9-1 last season at the Bernabeu.
This season Rafa Benitez's side has notched 15 goals in four games, without conceding a single one, and even staunch gambling detractors would imagine that the Portuguese will find the net against the Andalusians.
After all, finding the net is what he does best; whichever way, the goals go in.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2567344-cristiano-ronaldo-has-record-in-his-sights-as-real-madrid-crush-shakhtar
RSS Feed
